Xavi heaps praise on Barcelona team after win over Alaves

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was in full praise of his team’s determination to bounce back to winning ways after disappointing performances in recent games.

The Catalans went behind to Alaves 17 seconds after kickoff on Matchday 13 of La Liga at the Olympic Stadium before Robert Lewandowski went on to grab the headlines following a brace in the second half.

Barca still have positional play struggles and have been far from convincing in recent matches yet Xavi insists that although the Catalans struggled to dominate the opposition, their reaction in the second half embodied what was required to grab all points in such a keenly contested battle.

Speaking in his post-match interview, Xavi went on to say: “We suffered a lot, especially in the first half. I think we did really well in the 35 minutes of the second half, so I think the reaction of the team for winning the game today is a positive thing for us.

“Very important win even though we didn’t play well, the reaction of the team is really good.”

The defending league champions take on Rayo Vallecano after the international break in their return to La Liga on November 25 and lie in 3rd place on the standings, two points behind rivals Real Madrid and four points behind leaders Girona.