FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez praised his team after their thrilling comeback win over Celta Vigo moved them to the top of La Liga.
After three games in seven days, Xavi’s team was fatigued and played slowly.
After taking control in November 2021, they had won two straight 5-0 games against Real Betis and Royal Antwerp, but they couldn’t match that “highest level” of play.
When Anastasios Douvikas’ goal doubled the opposition’s lead in the 76th minute, Barcelona seemed doomed.
Read More: Al Nassr beat Al Ahli 4-3 in a thriller.
Robert Lewandowski and his teammates scored in the 81st and 85th minutes to complete the comeback and electrify Montjuic Stadium. After that, Joao Cancelo scored in 89 seconds.
Xavi said only his teammates could have done the “remontada,” as it’s called in Spain, after the game.
“They believed in it, so we’re a team,” said Xavi.
The coach lauded his team’s “courage” and “belief,” although they were “very disorganized today.”
He emphasized that we needed to assess why we weren’t playing as well as in previous games.
Xavi said Barca “risked everything” by playing with two defenders when it looked like they would lose.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, late substitutes, played on the right wing.
Joao Cancelo, the game’s finest right defender, was free to progress, but he didn’t feel he had the best goal.
The Portuguese player admitted, “I must admit that I played poorly and made several mistakes.
I did my hardest, and we returned.
“There’s a lot to improve on,” the Manchester City loanee said, “but winning is important even if you play poorly.”
The game was hard to focus on. Cancelo said, “I made a lot of technical errors that weren’t typical for my game.”
Even more honestly, he said Barca and their fans would not “love” him if he capitulated during the game.
The fourth straight home game for Barca is against Sevilla in six days. Cancelo said, “We have to continue, but these three points are very important.”
Share this content:
One Comment