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11 months ago
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Barcelona were able to bounce back from their Super Cup defeat by securing a comfortable 3-1 victory over Unionistas in Copa Del Rey last night.
The victory secured Barcelona a spot in the quarterfinal of the competition, with the Catalans now being tagged as the favourites owing to Real Madrid’s surprise exit.
Speaking after the game, Xavi sounded rather happy with the team’s performance, particularly after a humiliating showing against Real Madrid.
“I leave with a very good feeling, that we have improved in the game. Even when we were losing the match I had the feeling that we dominated it. And the second half is very good,” he said (h/t Mundo Deportivo). “We took a step forward. We played well.”
Xavi, though, highlighted how Unionistas did not give up without a fight and played in a rigid shape that made things difficult for Barcelona.
“Congratulations to Unionistas, they didn’t seem like a third division team,” he said. “We had a very strong rival ahead of us. They work very well with their manager Dani. It’s not easy to attack a deep block.”
Xavi was a happier figure this time around (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)
“We had to match the aggression, courage and soul. On specific occasions they got the better of us,” he added.
The Spaniard also pointed out some of Barça’s shortcomings on the night, especially when it came to tackling a deep block.
“We make mistakes again. Errors in concentration, lack of aggressiveness. In today’s case it is a ball that we lost in midfield due to lack of aggressiveness,” Xavi said.
“In matches like this, when the rival defends so deep, we have to shoot from outside the goal,” the coach added.
Moving on, Xavi noted Barcelona’s inconsistency, adding, “Sometimes we play very well and sometimes we have to play much better. Sometimes I get disappointed, because we don’t do what we have to do, what is expected. We know that we have to win and play well. This is Barça.”
Xavi went on to explain some of the decisions he made in regards to team selection, including Vitor Roque starting on the bench.
“Vitor Roque had some discomfort, that’s why he had a few minutes. He will play more later on,” the coach clarified.
Talking about the decision to introduce two midfielders in place of Joao Felix, he added, “I took off Joao Felix to put in Pedri and Gundogan, two pure midfielders. We wanted them to play passes in behind through the middle.”
Following this win, Barcelona move on to the quarterfinal stage of Copa Del Rey. Curiously, it appears the Catalans are one of few teams in Spain that still have a chance of winning the treble this season.
