Getafe FC coach José Bordalas had a clear opinion of Xavi’s comments after the sometimes wild 0-0 draw in Barcelona’s opening game on Sunday night. “I don’t think Xavi is doing La Liga any favours,” explained the 59-year-old: “The greatness of football has those things: A small team is able to stand up to Barça. It’s his way, to justify the fact that they didn’t get the three points despite their outstanding squad.”
The “most violent action” would have come from a Barça player anyway. “Anything else is a way of covering up my players’ great play,” Bordalas clarified. Back to the beginning: Getafe offered Barcelona a fight from the first second, constantly teasing the favorites with small fouls. The first “victim” was Raphinha, the Brazilian was carried away to an elbow before the break (42nd), for which he saw the red card from referee Cesar Soto Grado.
The score was tied again after 57 minutes because Getafe’s attacker Jaime Mata picked up a traffic light card. Barça then increased the pressure. However, this erupted a little later on Xavi: When Abde, who supposedly had rushed, fell to the ground shortly before the penalty area after contact with Djené, the Barça coach vehemently demanded a dismissal and even slightly attacked the fourth official.
Xavi, who was sent off from inside with a red card, had to watch from the stands as his team failed to score in the 15-minute (!) stoppage time. “If this game is the product of the league, it’s an absolute disgrace. I understand that people don’t watch football anymore,” Xavi rumbled. A thorn in his side was a scene deep in stoppage time, when instead of a penalty for Barcelona, Getafe got a free-kick for a handball by Gavi.
“You didn’t understand me today”
“The handball against Gavi was an invention. They told us in one session that they would whistle if they had very clear hands – and Gavi’s handball wasn’t one and they whistle. They had said they would run less to the VAR and I don’t understand when the VAR is there to help,” Barcelona’s head coach argued.
When he was sent off, Xavi only told the fourth official “that they allow Getafe a lot of fouls and not us”, which is why Soto Grado banished him to the stands. “We had a meeting with the referees and the first change they wanted to make was that they would show more understanding for the coaches, the tension we experience on the pitch. But that didn’t happen, they have me today not understood.”
Soto Grado let the game run completely out of control. Xavi described the picture that La Liga gave with this game as “absolutely embarrassing”. Raphinha and he are threatened with a two-game ban – the coach may be even more so after these statements.
Xavi only blamed his own team for the poor first half, in the second the Catalans played “great football” and just didn’t take their chances. Compensation is announced next Sunday (7.30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker) against Cadiz – without Xavi and Raphinha.
