Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez appeared on ‘TV3’ after his side’s Joan Gamper Trophy win over Tottenham Hotspur. The coach could not guarantee the continuity of Ansu Fati nor the arrival of Neymar, who was leaked that he has asked PSG to leave this summer, although his father has denied it.

Barcelona defeated Tottenham Hotspur in an enjoyable Joan Gamper Trophy in which the academy players had to come to the rescue of a drab Barcelona side. Lamine Yamal, Abde, Ansu Fati and Fermin made a huge impact when Xavi Hernandez brought them on for the closing stages. The coach himself, in his post-match appearance, discussed this issue, but also others that interested the fans, such as the possible departure of ’10’ or the hypothetical return of Neymar.

On the Brazilian, he replied: “I can’t say anything. Last year, I said the name of a player from another team and they got angry. Between now and the end of the market, we’ll see. We have to reinforce ourselves well. The sporting management and the president know that. I’m happy with the way people are training and the pre-season”, he added, more in general terms. As for Ansu Fati, he added: “We’ll see. Until 31st August, there’s still a long way to go”.

“Last year, we were in the same situation with the registrations. We are calm. Araujo? He has a niggle. There’s no injury and we hope to have him back on Sunday,” said the Spanish coach. 

More focused on the development of the encounter with Spurs, he analysed: “We played against a great team, with a lot of pace. They dominated us at certain times. We were weak in the first half. Better in the second half”.