Ceuta 0-5 Barcelona: Barca is still in the race for the Copa del Rey. Trainer Xavi gave a few important forces a rest when visiting Ceuta, but he could afford that. The top club had to wait a while for the first goal, but then easily won: 0-5. It is still not official, but Memphis Depay is going to Atlético Madrid. That was already clear, and Barcelona coach Xavi confirmed that information during a press conference on Thursday evening.
It seemed as if the whole of Ceuta, a town with 85,000 inhabitants that belongs to Spain but is glued to Morocco, had come out for this big game. The stadium was completely sold out. Logical too: normally this club meets teams like Badajoz at the third level. Spanish top clubs don’t come here, especially because you first have to cross the Strait of Gibraltar before you get there.
But Barcelona had to. From Malaga they flew by helicopter to Ceuta. The Dutch Frenkie de Jong (spared) and Memphis Depay (in the final phase of a transfer to Atlético Madrid) were not included. Initially, the Catalans who did travel had a hard time with the enthusiastic home club, who managed to avert the danger for a while.
The reporters had gathered in Ceuta, following the match between Ceuta and Barcelona in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. The Blaugrana easily won and were therefore in the quarterfinals, to the satisfaction of Xavi. “The team is hungry. It’s not easy to play football here, but we showed ourselves very professionally and proved that we have a strong selection,” the former midfielder mentioned.
Depay’s departure and replacement
The conversation quickly turned to Memphis. “He has asked to leave. I don’t know if it’s official yet, but he’s going to Atlético,” said the Barça coach. Logical follow-up question: will someone replace the Dutchman? “If it doesn’t work, it’s not a tragedy, but it would be better if we actually strengthened ourselves,” Xavi agreed. Memphis already trained with Atlético on Thursday.
Because it was a cup match, Xavi was also asked about his wishes during the draw, which will take place on Friday. Because Real Madrid also managed to win, a repeat of last Sunday’s Clásico is possible, for example. Xavi, relaxed: “A home game would be nice. There are still very strong teams in the tournament, we’ll see who it is. That’s what you get at this stage of the tournament.”
