Barcelona moved to second place in the La Liga table after securing a resounding 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday night.
The Blaugrana were by far the better team on the night and the scoreline showed as much, as goals from Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, and Fermin Lopez set up a convincing victory for the reigning champions.
The result, coupled with Girona’s loss on the weekend, meant Barça now sit second in the table, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid with nine matches left to be played.
Xavi delighted
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was delighted with the performance and the result, even though it was not the most pleasant evening for him personally.
After all, the manager was sent off from the touchline by the referee for his verbal protests and gestures against some of the decisions made by the official.
When asked if this was Barça’s most complete performance of 2024, Xavi said: “Yes, definitely. We were brilliant in many stages of the match. We knew how to attack, the match was similar to the one against Napoli.
“They pressed our centre-backs and we had to find space in behind, especially in the second half with Koke. We understood it well.”
Further praising the display, he added: “I think this was the perfect match that showed our approach, our playing philosophy. We’re very happy, everything went perfect and according to plan.
“This is a spectacular win, three golden points. This is the Barça that we want to see. As a manager, I am very happy today.”
The manager then touched on the team’s recent run of form, saying: “Ever since I announced my decision to leave, the team is playing better. We’re pressing more, attacking more, defending more.”
Xavi could not stop gushing over the performance as he added: “Our style is showing. Call it Cruyffism or whatever, but it’s showing. Due to bad luck we don’t play like this in every match, but when we do, it’s so enjoyable.”
Xavi…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/perfect-match-xavi-talks-joao-felix-cancelo-lewandowski-fort-christensen-after-atletico-madrid-0-3-barcelona/
Author : Michel Durant
Publish date : 2024-03-18 08:01:19
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