Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by Getafe in the weekend, and Xavi Hernandez took many by surprise in his post-match press conference. Among the reasons that explained the tie, the coach mentioned the sun.
"The match schedule? We're used to playing without the sun, to playing at night," Xavi said. "But we have to get used to it, next Sunday we will play again at this time, I don't want it to sound like an excuse but we have to adapt."
Only a day later, Carlo Ancelotti was asked about Xavi's comments in his pre-game conference ahead of the Champions League clash between Real Madridand Chelsea. Here's what he had to say.
Ancelotti says the sun is not an excuse
"For us, the most important thing is to play football," Ancelotti said. "I honestly believe that there are teams that are more used to playing in the afternoon than at night, but there's a calendar that demands you to play at different times. You always have to be prepared".
While it wasn't exactly a jab at the Barcelona coach, Carletto did make it clear he would never complain about the sun. And he has a point, professional teams have to adapt to play at different times of the day.
Martin O'Donnell is a bilingual sports writer fluent in English and Spanish, with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Since joining Bolavip in February 2021, he has extensively covered soccer, NFL, and NBA, specializing in real-time coverage of major events such as the World Cup, UEFA Champions League finals, and the Super Bowl. Martin’s prior experience includes managing social media for the CONMEBOL Libertadores and Sudamericana in English and reporting on Brazilian football for Sambafoot. At Bolavip, he is known for his meticulous coverage during critical sports seasons—covering trades, playoffs, and finals—and for keeping a close eye on soccer icons Lionel Messi at Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. His attention to detail and ability to capture breaking news have made him a valuable asset to the team.
