Xavi after the five: Arsenal played the Champions League match against us!

Xavi Hernandez, the coach of Barcelona, expressed his astonishment at the enthusiasm displayed by the English team Arsenal, who defeated Barcelona with a score of 5-3 in a match that took place on Thursday during the preparations for the new season in the United States.

Xavi said, as reported by the Spanish newspaper "Marca," "It was a very entertaining match for the spectators, but not so much for the coaches, as it was an open and offensive game."

He added, "We noticed that they were more cohesive than us, and we were weak in defense. We couldn't rely on Javi and Linglet due to injury, and some players played in positions that were not their natural ones. We saw some positive things and others that were not."

He continued, "At the end of the match, I told my players that it looked like a Champions League game because of the passion they showed, but I understand that everyone wants to win. For us, it was our first match, and we were dealing with a virus."

He clarified, "Our team's performance didn't surprise me, but their performance was surprising. It's not normal to have such a high level of enthusiasm or this number of tactical plans in a friendly match. Everyone wants competition, but this was a friendly match. We showed positive things, and overall, I am satisfied regardless of the result."

He concluded, "Pedri was fantastic, and Gündoğan had a great game, as well as Oriol Romeu. I think everyone performed at a similar level."

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