positional play merchant🇵🇸

I can't fully go along with Xavi saying that the first half was entirely his fault. He may not have got things right organisationally, but when you look at the goals we conceded, the first one because Virgil van Dijk simply failed to put the Greek goalscorer offside. And the second goal was just a bizarre back pass from van Bommel, followed by Jurriën Timber allowing his man to score from the cross. So the problem is bigger than just the organisation. I think Xavi is protecting his players here, and the issue goes beyond the tactical or organisational setup alone. You could even start a discussion about the players who made us concede the goals, because beyond the fact that Virgil van Dijk failed to execute the offside trap properly. He then simply did nothing to stop the goalscorer from getting his shot away. That has nothing to do with good defending. And Jurriën Timber did not look good against Greece. He hasn’t exactly come back from that injury looking at his best. So that first half could even raise questions about certain players.