Barcelona comes from a great victory against its rival Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Despite a 1-0 first-leg win, the Catalan club have been criticized for their performance on the pitch.
Barça barely managed 35% possession in the game, the team’s lowest figure in eight years.
Coach affirms that winning matches is not enough at the club
The club’s manager, Xavi, addressed the disapproval on Saturday. “Winning is not enough here.
You beat Real Madrid 1-0, and it’s not convincing because [of losing possession]. On the contrary, it is a national holiday ”,
Xavi said at the press conference prior to the duel with Valencia. “That’s why I say that Barça is the most difficult club in the world.”
“I said this last season, and I got hammered for it. At Barça you have to win and be convincing. That is our goal. But we are facing the current champion of LaLiga and the Champions League. If they push you high, it’s hard.”
“Only in one game and perhaps in another we haven’t had control of the game since I’ve been the Barcelona coach,” Xavi continued.
“We didn’t know how to get out of his high blood pressure. We have to improve without the ball. But we seek to generate things with the ball and defend them with the ball. We work [on applying] high pressure and [adopting a] middle block.”
However, Barça takes the lead in the Copa del Rey semifinals. The victory against Real even came away from home as well. The two rivals will finish the round trip match on April 5 in Barcelona.
Along with the Cup run, Barca are also top of the LaLiga table at the moment. The 26-time winners of the Spanish top flight currently hold a seven-point lead over Real Madrid. Picking up both domestic trophies will alleviate any concerns about the low possession stat against Real Madrid on Thursday.
Photo credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
