Premier League: Declan Rice, Guardiola’s most expensive setback
Barcelona managed to win a very important match last Sunday against Atletico Madrid. A game not easy in which the men of the Spanish technician have managed to get away despite the reds that have tarnished the image of some. Despite this, it is very happy that Xavi Hernandez had some words to describe the game.
As we all expected, Xavi Hernandez was very satisfied with Barcelona’s victory over Atletico (0-1), which allows the Blaugrana to finish the day as the only leaders of LaLiga: “This victory is not only three points, it’s a victory that gives us a lot of morale for the rest of the championship, because we gave a blow on the table to be candidates. We had a lot at stake knowing that Real Madrid had lost.
However, Xavi acknowledged that they did not offer their best version: “Against Espanyol, I said we deserved more and here we took the points without playing as well. We did not win with a game as excellent as against Espanyol or Intercity, but we took three golden points. The message is that we can also win without playing well, because we will not always be able to play well. These are three points that give us a lot, the lead and confidence for what is to come”.
He also spoke of the ability of his players to suffer and the solidarity they showed on the lawn of the Metropolitano when Atletico exerted the greatest pressure: “We won by being a team and a family. The first half hour convinced me, because we dominated and we understood that we had the superiority in the center. That’s how Dembélé’s goal was born, from a run by Pedri supported by Gavi.”
On the other hand, he is also happy that his team can win without Robert Lewandowski: “It is also important to win without Lewy, because he is a key player. We missed him in the pressing. Ferrán did that job when he came on, but Lewy is a very important player for us. Ronald Araujo: “He is a leader. He was perfect, like Koundé, Christensen and Balde.
At the end, I asked him if he was okay”. He ends with his change of system, with a line of four midfielders: “When you change the system, the player does not feel completely comfortable. We changed our usual 4-3-3 in attack for a 3-4-3, because I thought it would give us more possession and clarity in the game, but Atletico pressed us and made it difficult to get the ball out.
