El Clasico: Xavi did not expect Barca dominance
Xavi is ecstatic to finally end Barcelona's losing streak against their biggest rivals, but he knows that there is still a lot to be done in his rebuilding project
FC Barcelona shocked even themselves after they thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico on Sunday night. Manager Xavi Hernandez spoke after the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and admitted that he is extremely happy but was not expecting his side to dominate over the league leaders.
The former Barcelona midfielder-turned-manager proved once more that he knows what he is doing on the sidelines and behind the scenes. His January signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres both contributed goals, with Ronald Araujo scoring another.
The former Arsenal man scored a brace, with the other two players contributing one goal apiece.
After the match, Xavi faced the press and said, "We have worked hard for these results. But we didn't expect to be so superior in their stadium. We expected a more open game. I am very happy."
Indeed, the Real Madrid squad looked shell shocked themselves. After extending their lead at the top of the La Liga table to ten points earlier this week, Los Blancos came to the match with a certain amount of confidence despite the absence of top scorer Karim Benzema due to injury. On top of that, Real Madrid had won the last five Clasico encounters.
Xavi is ecstatic to finally end Barcelona's losing streak against their biggest rivals, but he knows that there is still a lot to be done in his rebuilding project.
His initial goal of securing a Champions League spot appears to be firmly in his grip now, with Barcelona sitting in third place. They are level on points with fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, but still with a game in hand.
If they win their next match, the Blaugrana will be able to catch Sevilla on 57 points after the Andalusian side dropped points again this weekend.
Real Madrid still have a comfortable lead upfront with 66 points, but Barcelona's resurgence can't be denied.
"We have to keep working. It's not a trophy. We have to be humble," Xavi said, as quoted by Marca. "We'll celebrate today and then we have to rest and think about Sevilla. It's three more points," he added, before saying that he still thinks that aiming for the top spot will be very difficult.
