"It's a lie" - Barcelona star explains comments after cheeky dig at Xavi earlier this season
Barcelona star Pedri has explained that he was not taking a dig at former coach Xavi with his comments earlier this season. The Spaniard stated that he did not wish to imply that the players didn't work hard under the club legend.
After Barca's 3-0 win against Stade Brest in the Champions League on Tuesday, Pedri clarified that he was only pointing out the differences in physical training under Hansi Flick. He added that the German manager's technique suits him more and said (via GOAL):
"We do different gym training, I don't want to say that before we didn't work as they have said, that I said with Xavi we didn't work - it's a lie. It's just that we work in a different way, in a way that suits me, personally, much better and I've found that way of training with tires and different things that works better for me."
Pedri missed the majority of Xavi's final season at Barcelona and has only recently returned to action. He was out for a total of 128 days and missed 25 matches for club and country in 2023-24.
What did Pedri say about the difference between working under Xavi and Hansi Flick at Barcelona?
Pedri spoke to Mundo Deportivo in September and stated that he felt "liberated" under Hansi Flick at Barcelona. He claimed that the German manager had them working hard in training and added that the players were feeling better under the manager.
He said (via GOAL):
"Yes, I feel liberated. I think Flick has also conveyed that to me, to play without pressure, to do what I know how to do and I feel much more relaxed. Physically, I can also see that I am much better at being able to do different things. Flick is very good at that, giving us confidence. We are working much harder at the club than before. I think the physical trainers who have come in are doing us a lot of good."
"We work very hard and that shows in the game. The team doesn't let up after the 70th or 80th minute, but rather maintains its physical level. We [the Spain internationals] arrived late [after the European Championship], but speaking with those at preseason from the start, they were really put through it. A lot of strength work, a lot of physical exercises."
Barcelona have started well under Hansi Flick and are on top of the LaLiga table. They have also won four of their five UEFA Champions League matches this season.
