Xavi was unable to make his debut with a victory in his first 'El Clasico'. Barca lost 2-3 in extra time against Madrid, who used a goal from Fede Valverde in the 97th minute to reach the final of the Spanish Super Cup.
The Catalan coach, already in front of the 'Vamos' microphones, deeply regretted the defeat against the eternal rivals. "I'm sad and also angry because we controlled the game. We were bad at the start, but as soon as we sorted that out, we started to compete. We took a lot of risks, but this is the way to compete. This is the way to go," he said.
And in the same vein, Xavi wanted to highlight the work of his players. "We can go home proud and with our heads held high. It was very close and we could have qualified for the final. We still have to improve a lot of things in the game and we'll be recovering our players," he said.
Finally, the player from Terrassa sent out a message of optimism. "It's a day when Barca took off their full backs and showed that they can compete against anyone. When we took it off we were better than Madrid. It's a step forward despite the result," he concluded.
January 12, 2022