Xavi unhappy at Barcelona fans booing Gerard Pique

Forum 1 year ago

Xavi unhappy at Barcelona fans booing Gerard Pique

Xavi isn't happy with the fact that Barcelona fans booed Pique as he came on against Villarreal in La Liga on Thursday night.

It's been a difficult season for the veteran Pique, who hasn't played most of the time and has often struggled when actually on the pitch.

That was particularly the case against Inter last week, with the centre-back making a huge mistake which led to the Italians scoring and the Catalans being all but knocked out of the Champions League at the first hurdle as a result.

After making that error, Pique was unsurprisingly dropped, but came off the bench in his team's home win over Villarreal this week. But when he did so, the Camp Nou faithful made it clear what they thought of him, with many booing.

Xavi wasn't happy with that, saying his player remains a 'gleaming example' with how he conducts himself, as well as calling for unity.

"In pre-season, I asked for unity," the boss said after the match. "It's a moment to be united: the squad, the staff, the board, the fans, media. Whether he plays or not, the only thing I ask from Pique is that he is an example in the dressing room, and he is a gleaming example.

"I am saying this because he deserves it. He has never shown a bad attitude. He is an example as a captain and the fans should know that."

When asked why he thought Pique was booed, Xavi said he didn't care about the reason.

"I don't know and it doesn't interest me much," he answered. "He is an example for the whole dressing room and training really well, that's positive."