Spurs vs Borussia Dortmund | Every word of Xavi Simons' pre-match press conference

Xavi Simons spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Monday, ahead of our UEFA Champions League MD7 encounter against Borussia Dortmund at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday evening (8pm UK).

Here's what he had to say...

How much do you, the players, feel you owe it to the manager tomorrow to go out and give a performance and win?

Xavi: “At the end, I would say this is the highest level of football and as we know as a group we have to stick together. It's not only the coaches, it's the whole club, I would say. That's the most important thing. We're playing every two or three days and we have to stick together, and tomorrow we have another opportunity to win.”

Younger players might be involved - can the fans use the excitement and potential of these players to look forward to the future?

Xavi: “Yeah, I would say even me, I'm still young, but you can see the younger guys coming up and training every day with us. The excitement that they have and the willingness to play the game is immense, but I would say obviously we have to do our job and at the end, if one of them comes onto the pitch, it will be no age, no young guys, it will be football. And I think they are all ready, so that's something nice.”

Can you just explain what's going on from a player's perspective about why you're struggling to win at home?

Xavi: “Yeah, if I had the answer I'm willing to say to you, but this is football. You have to deal with situations in life that maybe at the moment you have not the right answer, but the only thing that we can do is stick together, coming back every day to the training ground, working hard and even working more hard, that's maybe the answer. I can understand the fans, the frustration a little bit, but I can say with certainty that we are trying to turn it around.”

You are facing Borussia Dortmund, a team you know well from playing in Germany - is this a big moment to put on a big performance?

Xavi: “Yes, obviously, we want to turn this around, especially playing in the Champions League. I think it's the biggest stage and me playing against Dortmund, I've played already in Germany. It's special, but at the same time, it's like every game, every game is a big game for me and for the team. We want to bring that momentum and to bring that three points at home.”

You've experienced elite football environments all over your young career - what have you made of Spurs and the environment here when you compare it to a lot of those elite environments that you've spent time in previously?

Xavi: “At the end I think it's not fair to compare every club. Every situation is different, every manager is different, every place is different. And me, I'm now here, I'm really happy to be here. Obviously, this is the situation we are into. I feel really good together with the team and we're trying to change this.”

How is the pain in your ankle?

Xavi: “Yeah, it wasn't a big impact but it's getting better.”

You're playing through the pain barrier for this game. How much does that show that you and the players are fighting for this manager?

Xavi: “Everyone wants to win, not only the coach but the players as well. We want to change this, especially me, I'm a guy willing to give everything to win. Obviously, if I had really, really, really pain, then I wouldn't play, but it's now a situation that I can handle myself as well, even though I have a little bit of pain. I want to play the game, I want to help the team."