Xavi on Real Madrid gap, Villarreal win, Araujo and Frenkie de Jong

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez assessed the victory over Villarreal and its importance, although without getting carried away after opening up an eleven-point lead over Real Madrid.

He stressed that "it's not an insurmountable gap, there are 17 games left. I'm happy, we are on a very good run of results, extraordinary. We are solvent, serious and hard-working. These games are tough and it's another sign that the team is solvent".

Xavi regretted not having achieved a bigger win, although he recalled that "Villarreal play you toe-to-toe, they press you constantly, with almost man-to-man marking that you have to overcome to get chances."

The lack of final finesse was the weak point, according to Xavi: "We got into a lot of good areas, but it did not materialise into much. There was a lack of final passes, a lack of decision-making. When you don't do that, it's always the same, you suffer until the end. But we took three vital points in the fight for the league."

The goal came after a recovery by Jules Kounde in the opposition half, a virtue that the team interpreted very well, as the coach points out: "The game was about robbing the ball high and getting forward. We worked on pressing high and we made the most of it. It's important that the team works hard and believes in it".

Araujo and De Jong

Araujo was the standout performer in defence, of whom the coach said that "he is the player who has grown the most with the ball, he is extraordinary" and he also dedicated great praise to Frenkie de Jong, who played as a pivot in place of Busquets: "The key is the confidence we give him, how he feels, he is happy and very important in the team. He is a total player".

In any case, Xavi wanted to talk a lot about the block and pointed out that "the first defender is Lewandowski, followed by Gavi, Raphinha, the midfielders, a splendid Ter Stegen, with a clean sheet again. Kessie, I don't know how many kilometres he run?"