FC Barcelona played a very interesting match from a fan’s perspective last night, as the team came from behind to win their sixth La Liga match against Celta Vigo.
While this match was highly entertaining for the fans, the Barcelona manager definitely had some reflection to do as the team should not have gone two goals down in the first place.
Xavi spoke about the comeback and the performances of various Barcelona players in this match after the end of the game in his customary post-match media talk. The highlights of this presser are reported below:
Xavi on the match
When commenting on the match as a whole, Xavi identified the courage and faith of the team to fight till the final minute as the major factor that helped them win the game:
“It has been a spectacular comeback; we believed until the end, summoned courage and faith, and the comeback is stunning.”
Xavi went on to highlight the never-say-never spirit of the team as one of the reasons that helped the club win this game:
“We tell our players to dare, that it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, that it’s important to keep trying until the end. Perhaps Cancelo didn’t have his best game, but he had faith, understood that Raphinha was in his position, and he had to appear in another. And that’s how two goals were scored.”
Still, Xavi was clear that this was not a perfect game and certainly not as good as the most recent Barcelona games:
“Winning like this feels good, yes, but it feels even better to win with the kind of play we had against Betis and Antwerp. It’s good to win through courage when you’re not at your best, but the intention is to win in the other way. When we lower the intensity, we suffer a lot, and that’s what happened to us in the first half.”
Xavi also gave his perspective on what changed on the field that allowed the team to score three goals in ten minutes:
“When you’re not playing well, you have to try other things, and we took more risks as the game went on. At 0-2, we had to take chances. We were interventionist, but we had no other option. We had to be brave. In the end, it worked because the entire team believed until the end. But the 0-3 could have come as well.”
Xavi on his players
Robert Lewandowski sparked the comeback with his two quick goals in the last ten minutes of the game, but there were reports prior to the match that he could be rested for this game. To this, Xavi said: “We talked to everyone about fatigue, and I asked Robert, who told me he had enormous confidence and didn’t give two vital goals.”
Another worrying point from the match for Xavi and Barcelona fans was the substitution in the first half of Frenkie de Jong, who felt a discomfort before leaving the pitch. Xavi did not have any specific information about his injury yet:
“Frenkie doesn’t complain. He’s a person who sacrifices himself. We have to run tests. We have a deep squad to choose from, and everyone will be important.”
Xavi also commented on how he allowed some of his players freedom to change positions and come up with something to win the match:
“I told Raphinha, who knows how to play inside, and Lamine that they could switch positions. Cancelo appeared in the interior corridor and provided the pass for the 2-2 with Raphinha in the midfield and Lamine wide, respecting their positions. With a five-man defense, it was difficult for him to receive comfortably.”
Lastly, Xavi once again picked out Gavi for his strong character and also went on to credit him with the comeback:
“Gavi can play everywhere, in all four midfield positions. If I have to personalize the comeback in someone, it’s Gavi, but everyone had faith. The 0-2 was a blow, and typically Barcelona didn’t come back from such situations, but today we demonstrated an unusual faith and a strong winning character.”