[ad_1]
Xavi is part of the pantheon of great football coaches of the modern era. The midfield master was an integral figure, as Spain won an unprecedented treble capped by a maiden FIFA World Cup ™ victory in 2010, topping off both sides of UEFA EURO triumphs.
After a glorious career with Barcelona, Xavi successfully went on to coach with a successful stint at Al Sadd in Qatar.
Having lived in Qatar for several years, Xavi speaks exclusively about why the 2022 World Cup will be a memorable experience on and off the pitch, his memories of South Africa 2010, the main contenders to win Qatar 2022 and much more.
Who do you see as the current favorites for the tournament in 2022? Are there off-the-radar equipment that could have a big impact?
Xavi: I am looking forward to the World Cup in Qatar in two years. It is shaping up to be a really exciting tournament and many teams will go with the conviction that they can win it. It was great to see Spain play really well again in the last few international matches. I think the team has returned to a high level and will go to the EURO and then to the 2022 World Cup with a lot of confidence.
European nations look very strong right now. It is impossible to choose a favorite, but France will go to Qatar as the reigning champion and believe that their team is strong enough to defend the title; they have so many exciting players, including match winners like Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann.
Germany, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Croatia should also be very competitive and will be very difficult teams to beat, so I would not rule out any of them at this stage. When you look at South America, Brazil and Argentina always enter the competition thinking they can win and both will have strong squads, with players like Neymar and Lionel Messi leading the way for some of the younger players who are entering. Uruguay, Colombia and Chile are also more than capable of competing with the best teams in the world and getting a result. Let’s see who qualifies but I think it will be a very open tournament that will make it a great show.
Having lived in Qatar for the past few years and seeing the progress here first hand, I am very excited to see the host country compete in the tournament. Not only has a great deal of money been invested in developing world-class facilities and stadiums to host the tournament, but a lot of work has also gone into developing a national team capable of competing on the biggest stage with the best teams in the world. world. The new generation of players coming to Qatar is improving a lot and with the current pace of development and having recently won the Asia Cup, I think Qatar can compete very well in its first World Cup. The culture of football is growing at tremendous speed here and I believe that the World Cup will help take the sport to the next level, not only in Qatar but throughout the Arab region.
You moved to Qatar in 2015 to play for Al Sadd. In your experience, what can fans traveling to the FIFA World Cup in 2022 expect when they arrive in the host country?
The excitement is really starting to build here in Qatar by 2022. The country has promised to put on a spectacular show for football fans and having seen the progress since I moved here in 2015 in everything from stadiums to accommodation, I have full confident that it will be an amazing tournament for both players and fans.
When you walk around Doha and meet the locals, it becomes clear that the people here are truly passionate about soccer. I really didn’t know what to expect when I first moved here as it was a completely new experience for me, to leave Barça after 25 years, to go to a new part of the world with a different culture and traditions than I was used to. . in Catalonia. But I must admit that I like pretty much everything about living in Qatar. The weather is amazing with sunshine almost every day and it is a very relaxing place to work as the people are very respectful and friendly. It is also a very safe country with very little crime, making it a great place to raise a young family.
I think the fans will have a great experience here. The stadiums are super impressive and have been built to ensure the best possible experience for fans, so the atmosphere within the grounds should be incredible.
Outside of football, it will be an opportunity for fans to experience a whole new part of the world and culture. It has amazing beach hotels, lots of lovely restaurants and shopping malls, and the fan zones will be a great place for fans from all over the world to gather for a drink and soak up the atmosphere, so I think fans who travel Qatar will have a great experience in 2022.
The Spanish team that won the World Cup in 2010 was unique. What are the key characteristics that made this group of players so special?
I was very lucky to be part of a special generation of players. We not only won the World Cup, but we also won the European Championship twice in a row. I think the main characteristic that defined those winning teams was that we had a very humble and honest group of players who worked very hard for each other. They were all there for the group and did their best for the good of the team. They were also a winning team in an incredible race, which meant that we played with the confidence that we could win every game.
The coaches did a lot for us too. Luis Aragonés initially brought the core group together, and Vicente del Bosque continued his work, and he was someone who really brought out the best of the talent we had in Spain at that time. It was a very talented generation and Del Bosque gave us the confidence to go out and play a style of soccer that allowed us to dominate games and was exciting to watch. I think that’s what people will remember from that time.
2020 is the 10th anniversary of Spain’s victory in South Africa. What is the first memory or image that comes to mind every time someone mentions that World Cup?
Many spectacular memories come to mind. Ten years have passed since the victory in South Africa, but it seems like yesterday. That feeling of knowing that you have made history is incredible. I vividly remember the celebrations, having the cup in our possession and traveling in a convertible bus through Madrid. The joy that victory brought to everyone in Spain was immense and it is something that will remain in my memory for the rest of my life. After winning the World Cup, you are world champion forever, no one can take it away from you. It is spectacular what we were able to achieve, so it makes me very happy and proud to remember those moments.
There are probably no perfect matches, as there is always something to improve. However, if you had to choose a 2010 World Cup match in which Spain’s performance was at its best, what would it be and why?
I think the best match we played in 2010 was the semi-final against Germany. Germany had a philosophy very similar to ours, of wanting the ball, of dominating the game, of going on the attack. I think we both played a similar style in that game and that day, we were better than them. In the final we suffered a little more because we faced a very tough and aggressive Dutch team that would not let us play. On the other hand, Germany wanted to play us at our own game and that day, we were the top team.
Spain based its dominance on ball possession. Soccer is evolving into a game where physical strength and speed in transitions are crucial. Could a team that played as Spain did in 2010, in your opinion, win the 2022 World Cup?
I am convinced that the team that has more possession of the ball and goes on the attack more frequently has a better chance of winning than a team that defends. I am convinced because that is how I lived it as a player and I achieved success in the game following that model. In the end, the team that goes on the attack, the one that shoots the most, the one that is closest to the rival goal, is the one that has the best chance of winning. It doesn’t guarantee it, but I think the statistics are in its favor. So yes, I think a team could win the 2022 World Cup by playing a possession-based game at a high rate.
In football I think there are two types of coaches, those who want to defend and those who want to attack. It’s clear to me what my preferred philosophy is. As a coach, I want my team to have the ball, I want to attack. I want to play in the opposite field. I want my players to put a lot of pressure on the opposition to ensure that the ball is in our possession most of the time. I think a lot has improved in the modern game and of course there is a great emphasis on things like the speed of transitions and the physical strength of the players, but in the end, I think it is the most talented and skilled team that will do. they will prevail in the game.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
