Dani Alves will not be in the tie against Napoli in the Europa League. As AS has learned, the veteran Brazilian defender has finally been ruled out by the coaching staff for the Europa League. It must be remembered that only three new players could be registered in the winter market, so Pierre Emerick Aubameyang’s entry at the last minute forced Xavi to have to rule out adding a total of four incorporations: those already mentioned Aubameyang and Alves had to add Adama Traoré and Ferran Torres.
Xavi has prioritized the attacking positions at the time of his final choice, aware that the team needs balance and a goal if it wants to make a difference in Europe. Thus, whoever had all the numbers to drop from the list was the only defender among the reinforcements.
The coach himself told the player this afternoon after training that he was not going to be registered, giving him the reasons. The defense has understood it perfectly. And it is that apart from prioritizing the attacking positions, Xavi has several options to occupy the right lane, and not only Sergiño Dest or Óscar Mingueza, players who in principle do not fully convince the coach, but the alternatives of playing with three central defenders, with Araújo on the right, or even putting Adama as a lane on the wing.
In addition, the need to have people up front is even more evident after the long-range injury of Ansu Fati, who will be out for ten weeks, and the possible dismissal of Ousmane Dembélé for the remainder of the season.
They will also be out of the Europa League, but due to other circumstances, the subsidiary forwards, Ferran Jutglà and Ez Abde. Both were not registered on the B list at the beginning of the season and since they have been in grassroots football for less than two years, they cannot be registered now.
Thus, the players who will be registered this afternoon -the deadline ends at 00:00 hours- They will be Ferran Torres, Adama Traoré and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
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