Xavi believes Barcelona were fortunate to get all three points against Unai Emery's Villarreal on Saturday night in La Liga. The Catalan giants won a critical 3-1 match against the defending Europa League champions, maintaining Xavi's unblemished start at Barcelona.
The Catalan giants had a couple chances in the first half until Frenkie de Jong, a Dutch midfielder, scored in the 48th minute. Samuel Chukwueze scored the equaliser for Unai Emery's side in the 76th minute.
Before Memphis Depay scored his second goal in the 88th minute, Barcelona appeared to be doomed to lose two points. Barcelona sealed the match with a third goal from Philippe Coutinho in second-half stoppage time.
Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona's manager, believes his team was fortunate to win all three points. "We did not dominate the game as we had hoped, but we were up against a formidable opponent. Villarreal did not deserve to lose, so we were fortunate in some ways "In a post-match press conference, Xavi said.
"On the night, it took a lot out of us. We've been fortunate with Memphis' jail, but these three points are really valuable to us."
Barcelona has climbed to seventh place in La Liga, seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid, thanks to their latest triumph. Under Xavi Hernandez's leadership, Barcelona has won two and drawn one of their three games. Next weekend, the Catalan giants will face a tough test in La Liga against Real Betis before flying to Bayern Munich for their final Champions League group game of the season.
The match against Bayern Munich is a must-win for Xavi's team if they are to finish second in their Champions League group and advance to the round-of-16 stage.
The Spanish club will also be seeking to add depth to their team and improve their chances of restarting their 2021-22 campaign in the second half of the season by signing a couple of players in January. Barcelona desperately needs a striker and a box-to-box midfielder.
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