Xavi Hernández, Barcelona coach, positively assessed the victory achieved this Thursday against Real Madrid, in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, although he admitted that his rival had “possession and control of the game” and they had to limit themselves to defend more than usual without the ball, something that he does not consider a betrayal of his game model.
Barcelona, with an own goal from Militao in the first half, took the victory at the Santiago Bernabéu and will face the second leg at the Camp Nou with a small advantage.
“The first goal we had was to have the ball but we couldn’t. We had unnecessary losses, they defended man by man, they tried to hurt us, but we defended well without the ball,” Xavi said at a press conference.
“It was important to concede little and I think we achieved it. We can control the game from the ball and in that sense it has not been the game we wanted. We worked very hard defensively because there are moments of the season in which the rival can dominate you and You have to overcome them. How do you take the ball away from Modric and Kroos? It’s very difficult”, he admitted.
“The rival has led us to play like this. Normally with the ball we are less imprecise but today we have not chosen well in many moments. The rival has pressured us throughout the game, they have played it one-on-one with three central defenders and they have taken us to this. We have not betrayed any game model but defending is also part of the game,” he said.
The Barça coach assured that this victory will give his team “morale and confidence” to face the other objective that remains for him this season, the League, although he pointed out that “we must continue to demonstrate” what they are worth next day.
“Today Real Madrid dominated us with the ball and we didn’t know how to find a solution. It was difficult for us. We could have tied but the team was spectacular defensively. I still see Real Madrid as very strong. We have minimized it and today they have practically not generated no occasion,” he confessed.
“Despite everything, I’m not satisfied not having the ball but there are other parts of the game. They have beaten us a lot physically, they have taken us a lot to our field, they have submitted us in possession and they have had control of the ball but we have defended very good,” he said.
“Busquets, De Jong and Kessié have gotten tired. We have to appreciate the defensive work. Today we have suffered practically no chances from the rival and that is commendable”, commented Xavi, for whom Real Madrid continues to be “favourite in the tie”. .
“Physically they are very strong. It is very difficult to win their duels and we have minimized them. Vinicius, who generates six or seven chances per game, today has not had any. The work has been extraordinary and these things must be valued”, he concluded.
