Dani Alves Appears In The Maradona Cup, Xavi: He Makes A Positive Impact For The Team

Dani Alves (Twitter @FCBarcelona)

JAKARTA - Dani Alves made his second debut for Barcelona against Boca Juniors in the Maradona Cup which took place on Wednesday morning WIB. Xavi Hernandez said Alves' presence had a positive impact on team performance.

In the Maradona Cup match which took place at the King Saud University Stadium, Alves appeared as a starter and showed qualities that made Xavi satisfied.

"You have seen what he can contribute defensively and in attack. He plays with a lot of intensity and his last pass makes the difference," Xavi said of Alves' game quoted by Marca on Wednesday.

Seeing Alves' fighting spirit which is still passionate even though he is a senior player, Xavi hopes that Alves' presence can help lift the mentality of other Blaugrana players.

"We all have to lift ourselves up, me first of all, and Dani (Alves) will help us with his experience. We have seen the happiness he brings on the pitch," said Xavi.

"He is a sensational team player, with character and soul, and that will help us a lot," added the coach.

Although satisfied with the appearance of Alves, Barcelona have not managed to win the game. They had to lose 4-5 on penalties after playing 1-1 for 90 minutes.

Even so, Xavi was not too concerned about the results obtained by Barcelona. In addition to just a friendly match, this match was also used by Xavi as a place to play for players who have not appeared in regular matches.

"Results are not important. We came home with positive results, like Dani's debut and saw players in different positions, young players. It was a good test for everyone," said Xavi.

"We have seen Balde at left-back and wing, Demir in midfield, Coutinho as a fake striker, Dest in an unusual position for him. It was a good test after the defeat (in the previous match)," said Xavi.

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