Xavi: "I still feel slight pain"

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Xavi Hernández may have provided Barça's goals in a strong performance on Saturday, but the midfielder has revealed that he is not yet 100 per cent fit after his recent injury lay-off.

The Catalan star asked to be changed towards the end of the 2-1 triumph over Valencia and explained why. "I am well, but I still feel slight pain," he told Barça TV. "I expect to recover from them soon. I started well enough, but as the minutes went by I felt the tendons begin to strain slight. I was battling on, but thanks to the doctors and physios that are looking after me I am sure I will fully be back soon."

Patient game
Patience is the name of the game for Xavi over the next few days and weeks as he looks to shake off the knock and he well aware not to push himself too far. "I need to go little-by-little and be patient," he continued. "The truth is that I still feel the pain."

Good reaction
Despite going before the end of the match Xavi admitted he was pleased with win after setting up Andrés Iniesta and Carles Puyol for their goals. "I am very happy with the way that we played," he added. "In the first half Valencia made things very difficult, but we know how to react. We dug deep and bounced back in order to win. In the end we saw the Barça that we wanted."