Four years ago, American full-back Sergiño Dest arrived at Barça for the tidy sum of 21 million (plus 5 bonuses) with the label of great hope at the right-back position, after promising appearances with Ajax. Problem, the side was never able to confirm expectations. Quickly far from being a starter, Dest ended his adventure with two loans to Milan and PSV, before signing for the Dutch club last summer despite a serious injury.
Dest accuses Xavi of lying to him
The Barça page is therefore closed and Sergiño Dest is visibly resentful. In the Sport columns this Sunday, the side settles his scores. With in particular a man in the viewfinder: Xavi. “When a new coach arrives and has his own ideas, you can’t change them,” explains Dest first, subsequently much more offensive towards Xavi. Xavi was not honest with me. The summer before I went on vacation, he told me: ‘I’m counting on you, don’t listen to the media’… When I came back from vacation, he told me: ‘You have to go ‘”.
Dest therefore has very bad memories of his collaboration with the Spanish technician, especially since the style of play that he imposed on him did not suit him. “With Xavi, I had the impression of playing with constraints, of not being myself. I wanted to participate in the attack, it’s my greatest quality, but he asked me not to advance and to stay back. My style of play is based on risk, but at Barcelona I was asked to adopt a different approach and that made me lose confidence in my decisions,” laments Dest today, who is now waiting to be able to resume the competition, he who has been injured since last April.
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To summarize
If he is no longer Barça coach, Xavi will have his ears ringing as a former player now settles his scores. Indeed, Sergiño Dest spoke to the Catalan press and did not spare the former Barcelona coach.
