Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez used comments from Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos to motivate his players in a team talk ahead of an El Clasico match this year.
Xavi’s first match as a coach against the Spanish capital club came in January as his side were defeated in extra-time of the Spanish Supercopa semi-final. It was a game in which the Catalan giants were underdogs for due to their inconsistency throughout the campaign.
Luuk de Jong and Ansu Fati twice equalised for the Blaugrana after Vinicius Junior and then Karim Benzema had given Real Madrid the lead, before Fede Valverde netted the winner in extra-time. Carlo Ancelotti’s side would go on to win the tournament by beating Athletic Club Bilbao 2-0 in the final.
Footage of Xavi’s first taste of management in the fixture has now been shown in the upcoming programme A New Era on Amazon Prime Video. Behind-the-scenes camera shows Xavi in the dressing room motivating his players with quotes from Kroos, claiming that Madrid were strong favourites for the game.
“Did you see Kroos yesterday,” Xavi asks to his players in the dressing. “Saying that he does not view Barça as a contender (to win), that it's a miracle if Barça wins. We need to have pride and show ourselves some love, we have to reach the final and win the trophy!”
Xavi and Barcelona held fonder memories of the next meeting between the two, as Barca ran out four-goal victors at Real Madrid in a sensational La Liga victory. It was a result which proved to be somewhat of a false dawn for Barca, whose season petered out before finishing 13 points behind their rivals in the title race.
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Speaking ahead of the game, Xavi explains to his side: "Curiously, today in Madrid, this is the day in which I am calmer as a coach when I thought I was going to be more tense, more nervous, but I'm very calm, do you know why?" To which veteran full-back Jordi Alba responds, “because we are going to win”. Xavi then replies: “For this reason, yes.”
The coach continued: “Also, because you have shown that you give everything on the pitch, it is a day to show patience and personality. Patience with the ball, they're going to get desperate, they (the Real Madrid fans) are going to start whistling at them. This is the game we want, if you give it your all on the pitch and you're a team, we're a better team than Madrid.
“If we play lurching, now I attack you, now you attack me, I attack, you attack...then they are better. I would pay to play today, really, I would pay to play.” Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a brace in a four-goal Barca victory against a Real Madrid side who did not have Benzema available.
