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Barcelona moved up to second place in the La Liga standings after claiming a convincing 3-0 victory over Atlético Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday night.
He blaugrana They were by far the best team of the night and the scoreboard showed it, as goals from Joao Félix, Robert Lewandowski and Fermín López gave the reigning champions a convincing victory.
The result, added to Girona’s defeat at the weekend, left Barça second in the standings, eight points behind the leader, Real Madrid, with nine games left to play.
Xavi delighted
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández was delighted with the performance and the result, although it was not the most pleasant evening for him personally.
After all, the coach was sent off from the touchline by the referee for his verbal protests and gestures against some of the decisions made by the referee.
When asked if this was Barça’s most complete performance in 2024, Xavi said: “Yes, definitely. We were brilliant in many moments of the game. We knew how to attack, the game was similar to that of Napoli.
“They put pressure on our centre-backs and we had to look for spaces at the back, especially in the second half with Koke. “We understood it well.”
Praising the exhibition further, he added: “I think this was the perfect match that showed our approach, our playing philosophy. We are very happy, everything went perfect and as planned.
“This is a spectacular victory, three golden points. This is the Barça we want to see. As a coach, today I am very happy.”
Next, the coach referred to the team’s recent form and said: “Since I announced my decision to leave, the team is playing better. “We are pressing more, attacking more, defending more.”
Xavi couldn’t stop praising the performance and added: “Our style shows. Call it cruyffism or whatever it is called, but it is noticeable. Unfortunately we don’t play like that in every game, but when we do, it’s a lot of fun.”
about the players
Xavi revealed that Andreas Christensen left the starting eleven due to discomfort in his Achilles tendon. Otherwise, the plan was for him to start at center with Ilkay Gundogan playing much higher up.
“The idea was to start Gündogan as an advanced midfielder on the right, the top of the ‘square’ as we call it. However, since Christensen couldn’t play, we opted for Fermín. “Christensen has some discomfort in his Achilles tendon.” he commented.
“Christensen is not hurt per se. He has some discomfort in his Achilles tendon, the same one that I had when he played. He is painful, but it depends on the day. Today he told us that he could not play.”
Praising the players’ performance, Xavi added: “Individually everyone was excellent and as a team too. This is a time to dream.”
Like Fermín López, Xavi also stated that Barcelona wants to dedicate the victory to Joao Cancelo, who missed the match due to personal problems.
“Cancelo is a good guy, with a big heart. He is very affected and he has not been able to join us today, but we dedicate the victory to him.” the manager said.
With Cancelo absent, Héctor Fort was asked to do the job at left back and the youngster delivered in a big way, earning praise from his coach.
“Héctor Fort was brilliant. It’s not his position, but he did it well. He doesn’t complicate things, he plays easily, with personality and without fear. He has the desire to succeed. That is the key.” Xavi said.
“We are playing very difficult games, competing with kids who are young, but who are also prepared.”
There was also high praise for Robert Lewandowski, as Xavi said: “This was possibly Lewandowski’s best game in a Barça shirt.”
The Barcelona manager also had some words of praise for Joao Félix, who scored against his parent club, saying: “Joao Félix was very good tonight, with and without the ball. He was very motivated and made a difference.”
Continuing to praise the players, he commented: “Sergi Roberto as a midfielder, Gundogan, Joao Félix, Fermín himself, Raphinha, all of them”
Xavi then added that Barcelona still have a chance to win two trophies this season and that this is the time to dream, saying:
“We are playing well and we can dream. We can’t rule anything out, I keep telling the players that. “Maybe this was our best game of the season.”
Regarding his red card, Xavi added: “The referee said he sent me off for my gestures. I didn’t say anything at all. I am always respectful. If I make gestures it is because I am very passionate.”
Fountain: LaLiga/YouTube