Xavi: 'El Clasico is not a friendly'

"This is an even game," Xavi said after a friendly 3-0 win over Real at AT&T, Texas this morning. "Real is the best club in the world. Today, Barca played neither too bad nor too good. We are satisfied with the way we compete. This is El Clasico, and normally El Clasico is not a friendly."

In the El Clasico match in the US on July 30, Barca controlled the ball 47%, shot 12 times with seven shots on target - compared to Real's 29 and 5, but took advantage of better opportunities. After rookie Oriol Romeu hit the bar, Ousmane Dembele put Barca ahead in the 15th minute with a close-range shot.

In the last five minutes of the game, Barca scored twice with the mark of the player born in 2003 Fermin Lopez. In the 85th minute, Toni Kroos lost the ball in the middle of the field, creating conditions for Fermin to lead the ball comfortably and finish his left foot outside the penalty area to the corner near Thibaut Courtois. In the first minute of stoppage time, Lopez once again made a mark with the ball, passing Ferran Torres to break the offside trap, kicking the ball over the Real goalkeeper's head and then scoring into an empty net, making the score 3-0.

According to Xavi, Barca won by a margin, but that doesn't mean there was a great game. The Spanish coach praised Real for having a thicker, more uniform force and an impressive performance. He also denied that winning Real 3-0 gave Barca more confidence because the whole team still had to improve a lot before the 2023-2024 season.

Ousmane Dembele is PSG's target to replace Kylian Mbappe - the striker was removed from the list of Asian tours and put on the transfer floor. Dembele has a $55 million release clause in his contract with Barca that runs until July 31, before increasing it to $110 million. PSG is said to have sent an offer of $ 55 million to Barca to quickly complete the contract.

Xavi admits that he cannot control the transfer market, contract terms and decisions with Dembele. The Spanish coach said that his students are happy, hungry and determined at Camp Nou and can play well in many positions in the attack.

Barca's head coach also praised Fermin Lopez - a player born in 2003 who replaced Pedri in the 66th minute, touched the ball ten times, successfully dribbled twice and contributed one goal and one assist. According to Xavi, Fermin played confidently, made a big difference, scored with his left foot, assisted with his right foot and left the door open for the midfielder to be in the first team next season.

Barca still has a friendly match in the US against AC Milan on August 2 before playing Tottenham in the annual Joan Gamper Cup friendly on August 8.