Xavi recently gave an in-depth interview to Indian podcaster Prakhar Gupta. In the fifth part of this exclusive conversation, Xavi discussed topics including "tiki-taka is not a term we used internally, positional changes, the conflict between Ibrahimovic and Guardiola, the 2009 sextuple, and the 2011 Champions League final".

Interesting. Was the term "tiki-taka" often discussed in the dressing room back then? For example, emphasizing one-touch passes and quick progression forward?

No, "tiki-taka" was more of a media creation, a gimmick. What we talked about within the team was passing, stopping the ball, controlling it, playing it to your strong foot. "The pass needs enough power, go to the right foot, stop the ball cleanly, and look up to assess the situation." That was our fundamental belief. And the rondo—every training session always started with a rondo, 7 v 2, 6 v 2. Mistakes and losing possession were absolutely forbidden; whoever lost the ball went in the middle to win it back. That was our underlying logic.

So your role in that team was to find spaces and make incisive passes. You were centrally positioned, not as a defensive midfielder, but as the midfield maestro, controlling possession and distributing the ball forward. Your instinct was to read all the spaces on the pitch.

Exactly. And the key pass, especially the final pass into the penalty area. Because early in my career, my position was actually more defensive. But Rijkaard then enlightened me: "No, Xavi, you're perfectly capable of playing as an 8 or even a 10, to make that final pass and play a more decisive role in the attacking third." At first, I was even a bit reluctant. I told Rijkaard: "Frank, I'm not used to this position. I like being deeper, controlling the entire pitch." He replied: "No, Xavi, you need to control the game and make the key pass. Stop the ball, play penetrating passes, and make late runs into the box to shoot." This positional change completely transformed my life and my career.

Was Ibrahimovic before or during this period?

Zlatan only stayed one year with us, the 2009-10 season. We won the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga, but we couldn't defend our title in the Champions League. We were eliminated by Inter Milan in the semi-finals.

Then Inter Milan beat Bayern in the final.

Yes, at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Yes, 2-0, Milito scored twice.

You really know your football!

Fairly professional. (Laughs) I remember watching that match. What exactly happened with Zlatan at Barcelona? Because he seemed uncomfortable at the time and made quite a few sarcastic remarks afterward.

As for Zlatan, we actually had a very good relationship in the dressing room. The real problem was between him and Pep. Pep relied heavily on Zlatan for most of the season, but in the final three months, he benched him for several crucial matches and opted for Bojan instead. That's when the discord started. Later, Guardiola made it clear to him: "You're no longer part of my plans. You need to find another club." That's basically how it happened.

But Zlatan has a very strong personality, doesn't he? Was he like that in the dressing room too?

I really liked Zlatan. Yes. I liked him because he was incredibly funny and full of humor. During training, he never stopped talking, always joking and making everyone laugh. We were very good friends; he's now back at Milan, in a role with AC Milan, and we stay in touch. The conflict certainly didn't happen in the dressing room, absolutely not.

A tactical incompatibility?

Yes. I have wonderful memories of Zlatan in the dressing room—he was always joking. Sometimes his way of thinking was a bit crazy, but that's just Zlatan, you know.

His way of scoring goals was also incredible, because with him, you never knew where he'd shoot from—an impossible position—or where the ball would go.

Indeed. Sometimes it was pure genius. Everyone would exclaim: "My God, how did he score that goal! It's incredible!" But sometimes he'd inexplicably miss a simple pass; his form fluctuated quite a bit. Still, his talent was absolutely world-class. Two meters tall, with such flexibility and ball control—a truly remarkable superstar.

In 2009, you won every possible title. The unprecedented "sextuple." Yes. Brother, do you still feel that same sense of wonder when you think about it now? It was simply...

I still firmly believe that was the most successful year of my career. I was 28, 29 years old, in the prime of complete maturity, both psychologically and in terms of experience. In my opinion, 28 to 31, 32 years are the golden peak years for playing football. That was my personal experience as a player; I genuinely enjoyed playing on the pitch. We won every possible trophy, with the national team, with Barcelona—everything went smoothly. Everyone remembers David Villa arriving later, and we lifted the Champions League trophy again at Wembley in 2011. That was one of the most perfect matches I ever played in my career. That final against Manchester United was a masterpiece. Even in the closing stages of the match, it felt like winning was surprisingly easy. Observers initially expected a hard-fought battle, but we controlled the game throughout. We had enormous respect for Manchester United, but that night, our performance was indeed far superior to theirs. I clearly remember the comments from Sir Alex Ferguson, Rooney, and Ferdinand after the match; they frankly admitted: "This is the strongest team we've ever faced, truly at the peak of the world."

Sir Alex Ferguson was completely stunned at the time, as he witnessed a dominant performance—a team with incredibly strong foundations built by a manager over more than a decade. Manchester United at that moment was extremely strong, yet they were completely dominated by you in every aspect, which was truly shocking.

Frankly, we were indeed unstoppable that day. Our tactical system and philosophy of play demonstrated a decisive difference. Of course, there was also the individual brilliance of world-class superstars like Messi and Villa in attack. But the core was our tactical concept. We controlled possession, and by dropping Messi into a false nine position, we firmly established numerical superiority in midfield. The opposing center-backs didn't dare follow him easily, which allowed us to circulate the ball smoothly in midfield, exploiting the spaces. We could have scored even more goals. At that moment, we were truly completely superior to our opponents.

Traduit par IA.

Le site web d'AF est désormais en ligne ! Actualités complètes, commentaires, détails des matchs et statistiques sur votre ordinateur. Visitez : www.allfootballapp.com