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Barcelona swung back to winning ways last night after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over RCD Mallorca.
It was a hard-fought victory for the Catalans, who were not the most productive team in the attack and had to rely on a magical goal from Lamine Yamal to seal all three points.
Speaking to the press after the game, Xavi highlighted the team’s lack of productivity, stating, “We still lack effectiveness in front of goal. We created 4 or 5 chances against a team that barely concedes chances.”
“I suffered today, yes. Same story all season. We created enough chances to win by more than one goal,” he added. “Scoring the penalty would have completely changed the match. Our effectiveness has cost us again.”
However, Xavi went on to commend the team’s performance, particularly when it came to creating chances and keeping the opposition defence at bay.
“We created a lot of chances against a team that doesn’t concede many of them. We were calm and patient,” he said. “We played a solid match against a well-prepared opponent. It’s very difficult to attack their 5-3-2.”
“Our defensive feelings are very good. We have improved a lot in this aspect, that’s how we’re winning matches. “Mallorca were equal to us a lot of the time because Aguirre prepares his teams very well,” the Spaniard further added.
The difference maker of this game was surely Lamine Yamal, who made things difficult for the opposition defence with his quick feet and a box of tricks out wide. He also scored a wonderful goal in the second half to seal all three points for Barcelona.
Yamal’s performance even left Mallorca coach Javier Aguirre to compare the youngster to none other than Lionel Messi.
But Xavi opted to hold back on those comparisons, stating, “I think they should not be compared. Anyone will lose when compared to Messi. We’re talking about the best player in the history of this sport, he should not be compared.”
Xavi holds back on Messi comparisons…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/xavi-talks-lamine-cubarsi-messi-roque-raphinha-pedri-after-barcelona-1-0-mallorca/
Author : Connell Edgar-Jones
Publish date : 2024-03-09 07:04:32
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