Barcelona: Xavi admits that he did not expect the El Clasico to be this easy

Last night was Xavi Hernandez’s final test as the new Barcelona manager. Yes, they had defeated Napoli, yes, they beat Atletico Madrid and yes, they were unbeaten in 11 games prior to the Real Madrid game but the sheer gravity of the rivalry could have made or broken his managerial career. The men in white were on top form and to beat them would be to send a message, not only to them but to the whole world. Everyone expected a tight game with one or two goals at max but no one could predict what happened, not even Xavi himself.

The match which was set up to be a closely contested fight, an intense event, was kind of anti-climatic at the end because Barca just ran away with it. The Catalans dominated the show from the beginning to the finish and Madrid never really got into the game. While the Catalans were busy scoring goals and humiliating Real’s defence, Vinicius Jr was messing up one on one chances against Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Even Xavi could not believe the scoreline after the game and he said in a post-match interview,

"“We have worked hard for these results. But we didn’t expect to be so superior in their stadium,”“We were far superior, in terms of goals and our play. We leave with a smile from ear to ear,”_Source Marca"

However, the manager is also a realist and will not let this victory get to the player’s heads. The former Barca player said that this victory does not grant them a trophy and at Barca, a trophy is all that matters. A team like Barcelona cannot be satisfied with just one win over Madrid, they will only be satisfied after winning the La Liga or the Champions League. Thus, Xavi said that although they will celebrate, they will also remain humble and keep working to ultimately reach the mountain top again.

Do you think Barcelona can keep up this form in the Europa League as well? Let us know in the comments down below.