Xavi spoke about Lewandowski’s masterclass, Dembele’s potential, the upcoming match against Bayern Munich, Pedri’s performance, the optimism among the fans, and the overall performance of the team against Viktoria Plzen in his post-match press conference.
Xavi on Dembele’s potential:
“I’ve never seen Dembélé’s 1v1 ability in my life! He’s at the same level as Neymar in this matter! There are not many players like that. It is very difficult to defend against him.”
“Dembélé is like a dagger on the wing. I’ve always seen Dembele with great potential, today he was almost at the same level as Neymar’s best when he was here. He made the difference in dribbling, in crossing and now he must dare to shoot more. He is happy, satisfied, and enjoying himself.”
Xavi on Lewandowski’s masterclass:
“Lewandowski is insatiable! Praises aren’t enough for him, he scored a hattrick but have a look at the work he put in.
“I can’t say if Lewandowski is the best 9 in all of Europe or not, but he is the best for us. Apart from making a difference, he makes the team play better and gives us many solutions in attack and helps his teammates, he has great maturity.”
Xavi on the support Barca got from Camp Nou:
“The Camp Nou felt like a big concert tonight. The audience was sincere. We have to leave our souls on the pitch. The culés will wake up happy tomorrow, but I reiterate that they are only three points. I join this euphoria but with caution, calm, and with all the humility in the world.”
Xavi on conceding the goal:
“I’m annoyed by the goal we conceded. The goal we conceded was because of a mistake. We have to improve on these errors. When we went 3-1 up, it gave us more peace of mind.”
Xavi on the team’s overall performance:
“When you take 20 shots per game, you are closer to winning than losing. We created a lot of chances, Dembélé was very good, and Lewandowski made the difference. The goal we conceded annoyed us. Overall, we were superior and that reflected in the result.”
“It was a great start but we still have a long way to go. I’m satisfied with the understanding of the game & our intensity. The intensity makes us win the ball back quickly, and leads to creating a lot of chances.”
Xavi on Barca being Back at the top level:
“It’s too early to say ‘Barcelona is back’, it’s only three points, we played at home and it’s still a tough group. We have to go to Munich and then to Milan. We have to keep going on. Everything has just started.”
Xavi on the game against Bayern Munich:
“We have to focus on Cadiz first, then on Bayern. We have to think about the three points at a time.”We have a game on Saturday in Cadiz, then on Tuesday against Bayern and then one next Saturday against Elce. We have to keep adding 3 points. We are in a good moment, but every game will determine our fate, in Cadiz we have a test.”
Xavi on the note for Ferran Torres:
“Sometimes you make an unexpected change and you don’t have time to explain some factors of the game. In this case, the paper was to explain him his position on the pitch.”
Xavi on the preferred position for Kounde:
“I see Koundé as a Centre-Back. Today was an emergency situation as Roberto had a bit of discomfort, but nothing serious.”
Xavi on Pedri’s performance:
“The partnership between Lewandowski and Pedri is very exciting. Pedri still has to lose possession less frequently and improve his final pass, but he is fantastic.”
That concluded Xavi’s post-match briefing.
Great performance 💪