Coach Xavi Hernandez guides Barcelona to a thrilling comeback victory at Las Palmas

Rob Fleming
5 January 2024

Ilkay Gundogan of FC Barcelona celebrates his goal

FC Barcelona, under coach Xavi Hernandez, orchestrated a comeback to secure a 2-1 triumph against Las Palmas in La Liga on Thursday night.

Munir Al-Hadadi initially put the home side ahead, but Ferran Torres and Ilkay Gundogan's clinical strikes orchestrated Barcelona's resurgence.

Coach Xavi, addressing the media post-match, expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, emphasizing their determination: "The team played to win and is a fair winner against a team that nobody has turned the game around against in this league."

Barcelona, trailing in the first half, showcased a tactical shift in the second, prompting Xavi to analyse the strategic alteration: "We rushed in the first half and made too many horizontal passes. The half-time talk was about patience, finding the right moment, and making diagonal passes. We improved our quality in the final pass."

Despite a pessimistic tone from some journalists, Xavi defended his team's struggle for victory, citing how other title contenders also faced challenges: "Games are decided by details. Girona wins in the last second, Madrid in the 80th minute with a corner, and we won with a penalty in the 90th. We do have arguments to win the league."

Addressing concerns about the first-half performance, Xavi pinpointed the lack of a decisive final pass: "In the first half, we lacked the game, or more specifically, the final pass. Overall, I'm satisfied."

Newcomer Vitor Roque made a promising debut, earning praise from Xavi for his speed and depth: "He's going to give us a lot. Specifically, the substitution of Robert Lewandowski was because we needed players who could move with speed, like Vitor, Lamine, Fermin, Joao Felix."

Despite the victory, Xavi offered a positive update on Joao Cancelo's injury: "It doesn't seem serious, it's the knee, but we'll wait for the tests."

With this La Liga victory, Barcelona concluded matchday 19 in third place, trailing Real Madrid and Girona by seven points. Xavi's tactical acumen and the team's resilience are emerging as potent elements in their pursuit of league glory.