Xavi: “We had to react, we had to stand up and be counted”

Barcelona defeated Villarreal by three goals to nil on Thursday night, a result which appears to have brought a little bit of calm back to the dressing room. After slip-ups in the Champions League and LaLiga against Inter and Real Madrid respectively, Xavi made it clear that it was vital for his team to pick up three points against the Yellow Submarine, which they did convincingly with a fine performance. The Barça coach, who praised De Jong, his defence and Ansu Fati, now hopes for consistency. Regarding the changes made to the starting line-up, he didn’t want to create controversy. “I’m not sending a message to anyone. There’ll also be changes on Sunday because we’re suffering from fatigue and we need to make sure we play with a certain intensity and rhythm.”

A positive reaction after losing El Clásico to Real Madrid

Do you think the players have redeemed themselves with this 3-0 victory?

We played really well. We had to. We had to show a reaction. It wasn’t easy because a lot was expected of us after some bad results. There are high expectations this season and we stood up to it tonight, we showed character. We scored three goals against the team that had the best defence in the league. We feel good about our performance in general.

You decided to leave out players such as Eric García and Ousmane Dembélé.

I wasn’t trying to send a message to anyone. There’ll also be changes on Sunday because we’re suffering from fatigue and we need to make sure we play with a certain intensity and rhythm. The players have to be right at it each minute they’re on the field.

Frenkie De Jong, Marcos Alonso and Ansu Fati - top performers against Villarreal

How would you assess Frenkie De Jong’s performance?

We understood that on many occasions he was the free man, he had to play different roles. I think he enjoyed the game, he understood his role really well and put in a complete performance. I’m really happy for him, he deserves it.

Why did you pick Marcos Alonso in central defence?

He can adapt to play there without any trouble. He has the ability to move into space and come out on top in one-on-one battles. He’s left-footed, so the way he brings the ball out from the back suits us perfectly. The whole defence played very well.

Was Ansu Fati in need of a goal?

He’s going to be a very important player, although it depends on his mentality and how he trains. Another goal for him. In the end, if we’re all in it together, the results will come.