Xavi praises his players after emphatica win over Real Betis

Barcelona had five different scorers as they went on to beat Real Betis 5-0 in one of the La Liga fixtures for the weekend on Saturday. The Blaugrana were dominant in their display as they went atop the table 24 hours before Real Madrid faced Real Sociedad at Santiago Bernabeu.

Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Raphinha, and Joao Cancelo were all on the scoresheet as Barcelona prepared for a UEFA Champions League tie against Belgian side Royal Antwerp.

However, of all 11 players that were on display for Barcelona, Xavi was more impressed with two of his summer signings who came on deadline day: Joao Felix, who joined from Atletico Madrid, and on loan fullback from Manchester City, Joao Cancelo.

“We are talking about two players whose individual quality is beyond doubt. You see them train, and you see their greatness. Cancelo comes from a coach (Pep Guardiola) who, for me, is the best, and he interprets everything very well. We have spoken to him, and he has understood. With Joao Felix, we watched a video with him yesterday. They both give variants that make the team better. Physically, they are strong. They raise the quality of the team, which in general has been very good.” Xavi said.

However, Barcelona’s stay at the top of the La Liga table lasted for 24 hours as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Real Sociedad 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday to maintain their 100% record start to the season.

Federico Valverde equalized in the 46th minute of the second half after Real Sociedad got their lead just five minutes into the game, then summer signing Joselu scored on the hour mark to seal the win.

Real Madrid are two points ahead of Barcelona after five games into the La Liga season, with both club sides unbeaten, although the Los Blancos remain with a 100% winning record.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu