With the arrival of new recruits in the January transfer window, Xavi’s side is now looking much more potent while going forward and has a stable defence.
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Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets believes the Catalan club is “a much more complete team” under head coach Xavi. Following a poor start to the campaign, the Blaugrana have slowly grown into a beast under the Spanish tactician. With the arrival of new recruits in the January transfer window, Xavi’s side is now looking much more potent while going forward and has a stable defence.
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According to Mundo Deportivo, Busquets said: “Everything is different. The self-esteem, the state of mind, the confidence. A new coach has arrived and has made many changes. Xavi introduced the philosophy that he had maintained for many years,”
Barca are now unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions and have climbed to third spot in the league standings. They will face Galatasaray in the Europa League last-16 second leg fixture in Istanbul on Thursday and have been touted as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.
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In the last six games, Barca managed to find the back of the net 18 times, conceding just four goals. The front-three of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore, who arrived in January, have quickly settled into Xavi’s style of play and have grown into a lethal forward line. Aubameyang has already netted six goals in nine appearances for Barca while Torres has scored five goals and registered four assists since joining the club from Manchester City.
The mid-field trio of Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Frenkie De Jong has a perfect blend of youth and experience, 34-year-old Busquets marshals the midfield while Pedri(19) offers youthful exuberance and De Jong(24) is a versatile playmaker.
“We are a much more complete team, we do many more things well and we are more of a team after all. It is clear that we still have a long way to go, but this is the way” the Spaniard added.
The veteran also offered his thoughts on El Clasico on Sunday, he said: “Perhaps in the Super Cup we were caught too soon, with players coming back from injury and with Ferran who had just arrived,” he said. “We didn’t have Auba. I think the team is better, I don’t know if Madrid will be better but I’m sure they’ll be in better spirits because they come from a great tie. It will be a very nice game.
“They can score a goal from any mistake or play and from there the moods change and they win the game. I expect an ambitious Madrid, in front of their fans, who are going to try to win the game like us. There is going to be a fight to have the ball and let’s see who is stronger.”
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