"It's been a two-way game. Good for the show but uncomfortable for the coaches. It was Arsenal's fifth pre-season game and it's been noticed," acknowledged Xavi Hernández after Barcelona's 5-3 defeat at the opening of the Barcelona preseason for American lands.
Surprised, the Barça coach admitted that he did not expect such an intense Arsenal. "The intensity was not normal. It was a friendly and it seemed like the Champions League. They also made a lot of fouls. Of course we wanted to win and we took it seriously, but they were more shot than us," he insisted.
Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal coach, did not hesitate to answer him. "Football belongs to the players. We play in front of more than 70,000 spectators and the player rebels and wants to win. When the ball starts rolling and Barça scores, we have reacted", argument.
Despite the result, Xavi has seen some green shoots. "The main objective was for people to get physically active. No one has been injured and that is positive especially for players who have overcome a gastric virus in recent days," he said. He also acknowledged that the team was "shy in defense" and that they have not been able to count on Gavi, with back discomfort, or Lenglet, although the coach pointed out that the Frenchman will be recovered in the coming days before the classic that will be played in Dallas on Saturday.
In the Barcelona experiment, Xavi opted for several tactical changes. "It's a good test despite the defeat with a lot of players playing in different positions. Frenkie de Jong was the pivot and I think the ball was released well. It's the pre-season game although it seemed like it was in the Champions League as I said for the intensity".
Among the proper names of the party, Xavi highlighted the performance of Alejandro Balde. "He has played an extraordinary match." And when asked about Gündogan and Oriol Romeu who made their debut with the elastic Barcelona player, the coach pointed out that "they have been correct". Just like Fermín López, the only youth squad player who made his debut and who shared the minutes with Lamine Yamal. "Everyone has been at a similar level. The goal was for everyone to get physically fit," the coach remarked.
