Xavi talks Luuk de Jong, Ferran Torres, and Fati after Barcelona vs Real Madrid

Barcelona went down fighting 3-2 to arch rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup. After going behind twice in the game, the Catalans fought their way back on boh occassions to tie the game at the ninety minute mark. However, the thirs comeback was a difficult one to script, and Los Blancos ran away into the final of the competition.

Barcelona manager Xavi spoke to the media after the game.

The manager did not hold back his disappointment over the result. When asked about his feelings about the game, Xavi said,

“I’m sad and angry.”

He then went on to point out the specific areas of the game the team needed to improve in as he gave a detailed analysis of his viewpoints.

“We have to be more responsible with the ball, especially in attack. We controlled the match. We were bad at first but after we analyzed the match, we started competing again. We took a lot of risks but that’s how we have to compete.”

It was a night of returns for Xavi, with many players featuring for the first time under the new manager. Pedri, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati were three such players, for whom Xavi had only positive words to say.

“Both Ferran Torres and Pedri will be very important but they lack rhythm… the same goes for Ansu.”

The former Spanish international went a step ahead to state that there was no difference between his team and the league leaders and stated the one thing the team lacked in.

“We have to believe in ourselves. There is no difference between us and Real Madrid.”

Even in the face of defeat, Xavi chose to see the bright points. He called the game a ‘turning point’ in the season.

“This Barça can compete with any team, it can’t be said out loud because we ended up with a loss, but it should be an important turning point. Barcelona has to get back up!”

Despite Los Blancos walking away with the win, Barcelona’s tangible improvement under Xavi has been the big talking point across the world. The manager too shared his thoughts on that as follows:

“When we see where we come from and where we have been, we can be happy. This is the right way.”

Luuk de Jong has turned around his fortune in Barcelona. With three goals in the last three games, the striker is slowly becoming an irreplaceable part of the attack. Xavi spoke highly of the striker when asked to comment.

“Luuk is part of this tam. We are Barcelona and no one plays because of his name. Luuk is performing well and if he continues like this, he will continue to participate.”

Finally, Xavi made a classic statement to close the interaction, saying,

“If there is any way to lose, it’s like today.”

Source: BarçaTV+