Barcelona vs Viktoria Plzen Champions League Group Stage Match: Pre-match press conference of Xavi Hernandez and Jules Kounde

Pre-match press conference of Xavi Hernandez and Jules Kounde against Victoria Plzen in the Champions League.

Kounde: “I think the team is excited about this tournament. It's a great competition and we want to take part in it and win it. We are in a good position and the team is happy. We want to start the tournament in the best possible way.”

How are your early days as a Barcelona player?

Koundé: “I'm happy with the team. There are some things I have to learn more. I prefer playing as a central defender rather than a full-back, but I will play in any position the coach wants me to.”

Pique?

Koundé: “I think he's a very competitive player and I'm sure he'll have his minutes during the season. He will help us with his great experience and expertise. He helps new players a lot and he's an important player for the team.”

Were you upset about not being registered at the start of the season?

Kounde: “I was calm. I was confident in the club's ability to register me. I was training well, recovering, and ready to start playing.”

Is winning the Champions League a real objective for the team?

Kounde: “Of course. We are playing a tournament we want to win. This is a commitment from Barca. We always strive to improve and the coach tries to implement his ideas in the team. We are still at the beginning of the season. There are many things that need to be improved.”

What ideas is he [Xavi] trying to convey to you personally?

Kounde: “He asks me different things from what I was doing in Sevilla, but I always try to be important to the team and help it. When I play as a central defender, I try to give the team a numerical advantage, play hard and not be afraid of high pressure, and be a leader as well.”

Were you surprised by the quality of the team's players?

Kounde: “That didn't surprise me. In the second half of last season they were already playing at a very high quality. Now the team has developed more and has two or three players in each position. I'm not as surprised as I am happy to help the team.”

Chelsea wanted to sign you?

Kounde: “It was a clear decision to play for Barcelona and I decided to wait for them. I had a great chat with Xavi, and he explained his thoughts to me. So my decision was easy.”

Did Araujo’s and Garcia's level surprise you?

Kounde: “Not really. They do a great job and get along well. We have a nice conversation together, and we strive to give the best to the team.”

You said that you prefer playing as a central defender, will the arrival of Bellerin bring you back to the center of defense?

Kounde: “Yes, I think so. He is another player who will help the team. I think the decision rests with the coach.”

Kounde: “Our Champions League group is a very competitive group. We will try to play and enjoy these matches. We have a team with many talents, and we are working to develop even further. We have a lot of players who are able to create a threat, and our opponents will have to take us seriously.”

The team only conceded one goal in 4 matches. What’s the secret behind that?

Kounde: “I think it's a teamwork between all the players, the defenders and the goalkeeper. When we have the ball, things get better. This is a good sign, and if we continue like this we will be able to keep our clean sheets for a long time.”

Kounde: “All of our collective goals as a team are personal to me. We want to win matches and win titles. I will do what I can to help the team. And if we win titles, I'll be happy. I strive to improve every day. There is a lot of room for improvement. Participation in the World Cup also motivates me and I will strive to play well.”

Xavi’s Press Conference

Xavi: “We play against a strong opponent who have fast transitions. This is the Champions League, and we want to start in the best possible way. We got into a strong group, but we're very excited.”

Xavi: “Our goal is to get beyond the group stage. Right now we want to win the three points and come out of the game with positive feelings.”

Xavi: “Viktoria is doing good things. We know that any mistakes we make will cost us. So we have to start well and we want to win the three points at home. It is important for us to have a good start and then go back to thinking about La Liga.”

Pjanic did not train today. How did he make the decision to leave and how will that affect Pablo Torre's minutes?

Xavi: “Pjanic decided to leave in order to look for opportunities. He is a professional player. We called Pablo Torre up for tomorrow's match. Pjanic decided to leave in order to play more minutes. Despite everything, I depend on Pablo Torre. He might play tomorrow, and I'm sure he'll help us a lot.”

Will we expect changes in tomorrow's match?

Xavi: “Yes, there will be a rotation in tomorrow's match. We have a lot of players and we have tired players after the intense Sevilla game. We have a very deep squad and we have to rotate.”

Xavi: “I'm excited for the Champions League. I want to compete in the best tournament in the world. It was difficult last season with us not qualifying for the knockouts, but we have to appreciate it and play our best.”

Why didn’t you call up Bellerin and Alonso for the Viktoria Plzen match?

Xavi: “They are two new signings. They have to train to be physically ready. The will be available in the next match.”

Xavi: “I have a good team but the players have to show their quality. I might come here and say I have the best team in history and then lose tomorrow. Players have to show their abilities on the field. At the end of the season you can come and ask me again do I have the best team in history?”

Xavi: “We saw a lot of offsides in the Sevilla match. This means that they attacked us more. We always have to keep the ball more. And we have to be more efficient in front of the opponent's goal.”

Xavi: “The team has developed a lot since I arrived last November, whether through positional play or improvement in attack and defense. We want to keep improving our level of play, and the results will judge our success. But I am happy with the progress we are making.”

Do you think you can win the Champions League?

Xavi: “We will compete for that, and we dream of winning the Champions League. If I didn't want to, I'd stay at home. It's hard to say we are the favorites to win the Champions League. Last season we played in the Europa League, today we are in the Champions League. We have to remain humble.”

Do you compare this team’s style to Enrique’s Barca more than Pep’s Barca?

Xavi: “I don't know. I learned a lot from both, they are references for me. If they are not in the top 3 then they are among the top 5 coaches in the world. We want to play with possession, and we did that against Sevilla. We play a lot with quick moves, as we did against Real Madrid with Pep in the 6-2 match, especially in Henry's goal when I passed the ball to him. We do this now, and this is the Barca DNA.”

Xavi: “With Enrique we had Messi, Suarez and Neymar. For me, both teams are great, but now we want to play modern football. We have players who can attack space a lot like Dembele, Torres, Fati and Lewandowski. We want to take advantage of that speed.”

Xavi: “I'm under pressure every day. But after matches and work, I want to go to my family and have fun with them. We are excited and want to compete.”

Xavi: “There is great enthusiasm and satisfaction among the fans. I am happy for them!”

Pressures?

Xavi: “We welcome it. We are in the Champions League and we dream of winning it. Will it be difficult? Of course, we have 5 in our history and we will try to compete and hopefully win it.”

Were you able to diagnose the problems that the club suffered during the past seasons in the Champions League?

Xavi: “It is difficult to talk about all the problems that the team had in the matches between Liverpool and Bayern. But we try not to do this again. Let's start with a victory over Viktoria Plzen.”

Ansu Fati?

Xavi: “I always talk to him, he is always ready to play and help the team. We continue to work with him.”

Will Alba and Pique play in the rotation?

Xavi: “It might happen, and if they don't play, they might play on Saturday, or in another match.”

Xavi: “I saw a lot of change in the players, even psychologically. Players coming with humility and a desire to win is always positive. We have even evolved mentally.”

Pjanic and Kessie, what happened with the two?

Xavi: “For Kessie, it's easy, he'll play with us and help us. He has to adapt more according to our playing philosophy. Pjanic wanted to play more minutes so he decided to leave.”

Dembele said he enjoys playing football now.

Xavi: “There may have been a little influence from me on that. But I didn't feel a big change, because from day one he was happy and eager to play. I am not primarily responsible for changing his mindset, he did it himself.”