BARCELONA, Spain: Barcelona coach Xavi believes it is normal that defenders keep close tabs on Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, amid controversy over rough treatment toward the Brazilian.
Vinicius was brutally chopped down in Madrid’s 2-0 win over Valencia by Gabriel Paulista, who was sent off, and no player in the division has been fouled more this season.
“Players like Ousmane (Dembele), Neymar, when he was here, or Vinicius, these players who can beat a man, opponents are a lot more aggressive to them,” Xavi told a news conference.
“They get past their marker with ease, opponents give them more attention. Vinicius creates so much in attack, it’s normal that the opposition defense keeps a closer eye on him.
“There’s a referee and a refereeing committee, they have to do their job.”
Real Madrid face Real Mallorca on Saturday and the island club’s captain Antonio Raillo said earlier this week he would not use Vinicius as an example for his son to look up to.
Raillo had previously accused Vinicius of provoking and disrespecting opponents.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said the forward did not need any special preparation for the game, despite the bad blood with Raillo.
“Vinicius will prepare for the game as normal and will try to make the difference as he always does,” Ancelotti told a news conference Saturday.
“He is focused on what he has to do, I don’t have to talk about anything with him.”
Ancelotti said his own grandchildren were all fans of Vinicius.
“My grandchildren are all for Vini, youngsters like this type of player, who has so much quality, who is spectacular with the ball,” added the coach.
“They all have Vinicius shirts, that’s the only one they want.”
Barcelona will be without their own flying winger Dembele for the next few weeks after he suffered a thigh injury last weekend against Girona.
Xavi said the team would miss the winger’s ability to take on defenders but other players could help in that regard.
“Maybe we have less dribbling ability, Ousmane is the best at taking players on in the squad,” said Xavi.
“We lose that quality which Ousmane has, which draws two defenders, giving us numerical superiority on the other side.
“But Raphinha can do it too, so can Ansu (Fati), Ferran Torres, even (Alejandro) Balde, Sergi Roberto, (Jules) Kounde.”
Balde missed Barcelona’s training session on Saturday with a fever but Xavi said club doctors told him that the defender would be ready to face Sevilla on Sunday in La Liga.
It’s ‘normal’ for defenders to patrol Vinicius: Xavi
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It’s ‘normal’ for defenders to patrol Vinicius: Xavi
- Vinicius was brutally chopped down in Madrid's 2-0 win over Valencia by Gabriel Paulista
- Xavi told a news conference: "Vinicius creates so much in attack, it's normal that the opposition defence keeps a closer eye on him”
Villa’s Christmas charge: Can Emery’s men hit top?
- Aston Villa’s winning streak challenges Arsenal and City’s dominance
LONDON: Aston Villa are heading into the Christmas period like a runaway sleigh with 10 successive victories in all competitions and with the Premier League’s top spot in their sights.
The Midlands club’s 2-1 win over Manchester United, their seventh in a row in the league, left them three points behind leaders Arsenal and one behind Manchester City.
They have bagged 33 points out of the last 36 available, and in Unai Emery have a manager who knows how to deliver silverware.
Yet, according to the Premier League’s data analysts Opta, Villa have a 5.3 percent chance of winning the English title for the first time since 1981, with Arsenal on 68.7 percent and City on 24.7 percent.
“They’re just not as good as Arsenal and Man City. They’re doing excellent, they’re doing great, but I just don’t feel they’re going to be in the title race,” former Manchester United forward and Sky Sports pundit Wayne Rooney said.
Rooney is not alone in that belief, but Villa’s relentless form makes them hard to ignore. Extend their winning streak to 12 straight matches and the doubters will be running out of arguments.
Villa, who have 36 points from 17 games despite not winning any of their first five, go to fourth-placed Chelsea on Saturday and stay in the capital to take on Arsenal three days later.
It will be a huge test of Villa’s credentials, but Villa will not be daunted, according to Morgan Rogers, scorer of both goals in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Manchester United.
“We’re all confident in each other, the manager’s confident in us and we go out there and we feel like we’re going to win every game,” the England international said.
Skeptics will note Villa had two more points at this stage in the 2023-24 season before fading to fourth, and Arsenal and City boast far greater title-race experience. But both will see Villa as a genuine threat.
When City and Liverpool were struggling earlier in the season, Arsenal were taking an iron grip on top spot and looked overwhelming favorites to win their first title since 2004.
They still lead the way but the jitters are already in evidence and the fact they have been top of the Premier League four times at Christmas without going on to finish champions will be nagging at manager Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday before their showdown with Villa, and they finish their festive program with an away trip to Bournemouth.
City, meanwhile, have rediscovered their swagger with seven straight wins in all competitions. Pep Guardiola’s men visit Nottingham Forest on Saturday, then Sunderland on New Year’s Day, before hosting Chelsea on January 4.
After seeing his side click into gear, Guardiola made it clear he doesn’t want any Christmas distractions to knock them off course again, offering a Grinch-like warning.
“They come back on the 25th and I will be there controlling how many kilos come up, (to see if) they come fatty,” he said.
At the other end of the table, Wolverhampton Wanderers fans only want one present under their tree — a win.
They have not seen one in their first 17 games, and Wolves sit on two points — the worst start in English league history. Just surpassing the all-time low points total of Derby County (11) in the 2007-08 season is certainly not a given, and away trips to Liverpool and Manchester United over Christmas hardly look like providing any comfort. A home game against 18th-placed West Ham United in early January could offer a glimmer of hope.
Unusually there is only one top-flight game on Boxing Day this season, Manchester United’s home clash against Newcastle United. But after that they come thick and fast in a head-spinning spell of games that could reshape the Premier League table for the New Year.
