Xavi has scarcely given Fati any playing time this season for Barcelona, as the winger has only started five games for the Catalan club. He is competing with Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele for a starting role at Camp Nou, but the manager has shown a preference for the latter two players. Fati has voiced his displeasure with the current scenario but is still intent on winning a spot on the team.
“I’m not going to lie. Yes, it’s true that I expected that I would play more,” he told Mundo Deportivo.
“I want to play, but understand that the coach (Xavi) is the one who decides, and I have to give my best every day to turn it around.”
Fati declined to draw parallels between the philosophies of Xavi and La Roja manager Luis Enrique. The 20-year-old is presently competing in Qatar with the Spanish national team, although he has seen minimal action there, being used solely as a substitute in the team’s 2-1 loss to Japan in the group stage. “I think each coach has his way of seeing things,” he remarked. “Everyone has their way of being, explaining and playing. In the end, Luis Enrique and Xavi are different because one is training a club and the other a national team. I see it differently.”
When Fati scored for Spain against Ukraine in September 2020, he did it at 17 years and 311 days. Only three days prior, he had made his debut for Spain in a match against Germany, becoming the country’s youngest player since 1936.
The Barcelona forward is hoping to play a role in Tuesday’s World Cup round of 16 between Spain and Morocco.