{"id":116392,"date":"2026-08-17T11:09:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T11:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/116392\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T11:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T11:09:08","slug":"xavi-espart-karim-adeyemi-react-after-fc-basel-2-5-barcelona-very-difficult-to-make-it-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/116392\/","title":{"rendered":"Xavi Espart, Karim Adeyemi react after FC Basel 2-5 Barcelona: &#8216;Very difficult to make it here&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barcelona\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/barcauniversal.com\/three-barcelona-players-impress-in-5-2-win-over-fc-basel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">5-2 victory over Basel<\/a> produced several encouraging performances, but two players left a particularly strong impression: Xavi Espart and summer signing Karim Adeyemi.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Espart was handed a starting role in central midfield and looked completely at home, while Adeyemi opened the scoring to register his first goal in a Barcelona shirt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the <a href=\"https:\/\/barcauniversal.com\/barcelonas-first-la-liga-match-of-2026-27-date-time-and-opponent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">La Liga opener against Elche<\/a> approaching, both players used the friendly to strengthen their case for further involvement under Hansi Flick.<\/p>\n<p>Espart hopes for Barcelona opportunity<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Xavi Espart was one of Barcelona\u2019s standout performers against Basel, continuing the form he showed while playing in central midfield at the European Under-19 Championship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to the club\u2019s media after the match, Espart explained why he has adapted so naturally to the position.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cComfortable because, at the end of the day, I\u2019m used to playing in this position.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the European Championship I played in the centre and my teammates alongside me make it quite easy for me \u2013 I\u2019m really looking forward to it and trying to enjoy myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The youngster knows that a strong pre-season alone will not guarantee him a place in Barcelona\u2019s first-team plans. Still, he is determined to make the most of every opportunity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSince coming back from the European Championship, I\u2019ve tried to give 100 per cent here and show that I belong here and what I\u2019m capable of.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/udinese-v-barcelona-friuli-venezia-giulia-cup-2-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"Xavi Espart, Barcelona player\" class=\"wp-image-209394\"  \/>Xavi Espart started in midfield against Basel. (Photo by Timothy Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor now, I\u2019m happy, but football is a day-to-day game and I\u2019ll keep giving 100 per cent to stay here. I hope I can play for Elche, but you never know in football.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m taking it one match at a time and one training session at a time; I prefer to think that way and always give 100 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Espart also showed that he understands the challenge facing any young player trying to establish himself at Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to make it here, but what\u2019s really tough is staying here because of the high standards set by these players.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the end of the day, this is Bar\u00e7a, the best team in the world, and the demands are there every single day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou can never let your guard down. It\u2019s about approaching every day with enthusiasm and giving it your all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karim Adeyemi sends clear message<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Karim Adeyemi was another player who had plenty to celebrate after the win over Basel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The German forward opened the scoring and produced an impressive display, making his first goal for Barcelona an important personal moment during pre-season.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fc-basel-v-fc-barcelona-pre-season-friendly-5-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Karim Adeyemi, Barcelona player\" class=\"wp-image-209393\"  \/>Karim Adeyemi opened the scoring for Barcelona. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adeyemi has only recently begun his Barcelona journey, but the 24-year-old already appears to be enjoying life under Hansi Flick.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI feel great. I think it was a good match. We\u2019re still settling in. I love being here and I\u2019m already keen for more. It\u2019s a dream come true.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m enjoying every day and I\u2019m learning a lot from the team and trying to improve every day. It\u2019s incredible to be in a city like this and at such a big club.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The German also admitted that the demands of playing for Barcelona have been higher than he expected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the biggest club in the world and every day I push myself to the limit; I try to learn and give my best on the pitch, and I think it\u2019s harder than I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the challenge, Adeyemi is confident that Barcelona are heading into the new season in good shape.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOf course we\u2019re ready; we\u2019ve got some very good players \u2013 everyone can see that. Everyone can play and everyone\u2019s ready.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn Wednesday we\u2019ll put in a good performance, and the next time we\u2019ll do even better,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mundodeportivo.com\/futbol\/fc-barcelona\/20260816\/1004216651\/espart-dare-100-dia-demostrar.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Mundo Deportivo<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Barcelona\u2019s 5-2 victory over Basel produced several encouraging performances, but two players left a particularly strong impression: Xavi&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116393,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8],"tags":[15383,54894,77,54895,56595,56599],"class_list":["post-116392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basel","tag-barcelona","tag-barcelona-news","tag-basel","tag-fc-barcelona","tag-karim-adeyemi","tag-xavi-espart"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/117110542594574979","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}