Taken via: AS
"We feed off the academy - players that come from other clubs take longer to adapt to the team and we are very proud of those who have come through the ranks."
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has hit back at Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas, who on Wenesday said that the Catalan club "should not boast about their academy".
In a press conference the day after Barcelona's 2-0 win over Córdoba in the Copa del Rey, Xavi said:
"I disagree with Casillas on the subject of our academy. We are very proud of our academy and there are many reasons to be, maybe a few years ago it wasn't. We feed off the academy - players that come from other clubs take longer to adapt to the team and we are very proud of those who have come through the ranks. There are eight or nine players who've come from the Barça youth teams that are now European or World Cup winners. But you have to be proud of Spanish football too, and not just proud of Barça."
Madrid-Atlético:"It's too soon to take about title rivals. It looks like the two Madrid teams will be the title rivals. Atlético are a very strong team. Everyone said they were going to fall away but they haven't, they've just slipped up a couple of times. On Sunday we have the chance to make them slip up again. They are on a roll at the moment, they play well on the counter attack and they have a striker who can score from anywhere. We don't think Madrid are out of it yet, no matter how far we are ahead. There's a lot of games left."
New contract: "I'm very happy here and we just need to cobble together the contract. I'm glad that it hasn't taken very long for us to arrive at an agreement. The club want me to stay and my dream is to finish my career here and it looks like it will become a reality."
Problems with the ball against Córdoba:"It's a lighter ball, it's similar to the Jabulani. It feels strange when you pass the ball and the pitch wasn't in a good state, so it all combined, but we need to adapt to it, we'll be playing with the same ball in the Confederations Cup."
Villa:"He's fine, he's playing well, he's training well, he's strong and he's got over his injury. He has no problem with morale or fitness and the team know how important 'el Guaje' is to us."
Ballon d'Or:"I agree with the decisions. Iniesta deserves it too because of how he has played this season and because he was the best player at Euro 2012. He's a total footballer, a modern footballer, he deserves it."
Messi: "He's vital to us. We help him get score his goals and he helps the team tick. Of course there will be times when he won't be able to play but we have great players that can step in for him, but he is the one that makes the difference."
Barça v Atlético on Sunday: "This is one of the most exciting games in the league and it's even more exciting because of how Atlético have played this season. They've only lost twice in the league and they have Falcao, the man who makes the difference."
Career after football:"I don't know, at the moment I feel good, I'm happy that I'll still be able to be here when I'm 36, this is the club of my life and it's the best in the world. We'll see what the future holds then."
Catalan language:"I think it's a bad thing that Catalans are being forced to not speak their own language in Catalonia. We would like people to respect our language, which we are very proud of."
Rejecting the 21 million euro per year offer from Anzhi: "I would have thought about it if Barcelona were not happy with me. The only thing I care about is being happy here."
"We feed off the academy - players that come from other clubs take longer to adapt to the team and we are very proud of those who have come through the ranks."
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has hit back at Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas, who on Wenesday said that the Catalan club "should not boast about their academy".
In a press conference the day after Barcelona's 2-0 win over Córdoba in the Copa del Rey, Xavi said:
"I disagree with Casillas on the subject of our academy. We are very proud of our academy and there are many reasons to be, maybe a few years ago it wasn't. We feed off the academy - players that come from other clubs take longer to adapt to the team and we are very proud of those who have come through the ranks. There are eight or nine players who've come from the Barça youth teams that are now European or World Cup winners. But you have to be proud of Spanish football too, and not just proud of Barça."
Madrid-Atlético:"It's too soon to take about title rivals. It looks like the two Madrid teams will be the title rivals. Atlético are a very strong team. Everyone said they were going to fall away but they haven't, they've just slipped up a couple of times. On Sunday we have the chance to make them slip up again. They are on a roll at the moment, they play well on the counter attack and they have a striker who can score from anywhere. We don't think Madrid are out of it yet, no matter how far we are ahead. There's a lot of games left."
New contract: "I'm very happy here and we just need to cobble together the contract. I'm glad that it hasn't taken very long for us to arrive at an agreement. The club want me to stay and my dream is to finish my career here and it looks like it will become a reality."
Problems with the ball against Córdoba:"It's a lighter ball, it's similar to the Jabulani. It feels strange when you pass the ball and the pitch wasn't in a good state, so it all combined, but we need to adapt to it, we'll be playing with the same ball in the Confederations Cup."
Villa:"He's fine, he's playing well, he's training well, he's strong and he's got over his injury. He has no problem with morale or fitness and the team know how important 'el Guaje' is to us."
Ballon d'Or:"I agree with the decisions. Iniesta deserves it too because of how he has played this season and because he was the best player at Euro 2012. He's a total footballer, a modern footballer, he deserves it."
Messi: "He's vital to us. We help him get score his goals and he helps the team tick. Of course there will be times when he won't be able to play but we have great players that can step in for him, but he is the one that makes the difference."
Barça v Atlético on Sunday: "This is one of the most exciting games in the league and it's even more exciting because of how Atlético have played this season. They've only lost twice in the league and they have Falcao, the man who makes the difference."
Career after football:"I don't know, at the moment I feel good, I'm happy that I'll still be able to be here when I'm 36, this is the club of my life and it's the best in the world. We'll see what the future holds then."
Catalan language:"I think it's a bad thing that Catalans are being forced to not speak their own language in Catalonia. We would like people to respect our language, which we are very proud of."
Rejecting the 21 million euro per year offer from Anzhi: "I would have thought about it if Barcelona were not happy with me. The only thing I care about is being happy here."
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