Xavi has taken heat from some Barça supporters for allegedly failing to introduce Fermin Lopez in the team’s loss to Athletic Bilbao. The coach instead opted to start Sergi Roberto, captain of Barça.
Xavi stated, “I wanted to sub Fermin in, but I wasn’t allowed to because there were too many reserve players on the pitch.”—this was his explanation for not making the change.
A club can field three players from their reserve youth squad per match according to Copa del Rey regulations. Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, and Lamine Yamal were the players on the field for Barcelona at that moment.
On the other hand, Xavi’s justifications fall flat. Just seven minutes after Roberto was introduced, the coach substituted Marc Guiu for Lamine. Xavi missed an opportunity to include Fermin in his lineup by not introducing Roque, who is officially a senior player.
After the game against Bilbao, Xavi explained that he had intended to switch between Guiu and Roque for each game, but that strategy had failed. In a high-pressure situation, Roberto was not the midfielder to rely on, and Guiu failed to make an impression.
Bilbao scored their third goal after the captain gave the ball away. Subsequently, he was penalized by the referee for a foul after being outpaced by Willams.