Al Sadd’s midfield maestro Xavi has expressed his happiness with the way things are progressing at the Wolves 2016/17 preseason training camp in Kaprun, Austria, in an exclusive interview with Al Sadd’s website.
 
The Spanish legend said: "The preparation at the camp has been good; the place is great and the training ground is near to the hotel. The team is feeling very good here. The coaching staff is working hard to prepare the players. We have some young players who have a bright future and everyone is working hard to give their best ahead of the start of the season."
 
Asked about the competition in the new season, Xavi said: "I expect the competition to be strong, especially from the teams that competed with us last season - Lekhwiya, El-Jaish, Al-Rayyan. I also think there will be competition from some other teams - Al-Gharafa, Umm Salal and also Al-Ahli, who finished sixth last season."
 
Xavi also had his say on the decrease in the number of teams in the Qatar Stars League, saying: "I think it is a good decision and it will affect the competition in a positive way. This will have a good effect on the second division in the future."
 
As for the continuation of Jesualdo Ferreira as manager of Al-Sadd, Xavi said: "One of the best decisions the Al-Sadd management took was to extend the contract of Jesualdo Ferreira, considering his huge experience in the past in Europe. He has made use of the existing environment and the quality of the players. And so Ferreira and the coaching staff will have a big and influential role with the team this season."
 
You can read more from Xavi’s interview on the Al Sadd website.