Barcelona began their UEFA Champions League journey with a bang as they thrashed Viktoria Plzen 5-1 in their opening fixture at Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Franck Kessie opened the scoring on his UCL debut for the Blaugrana before fellow new signing Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead. While the visitors did pull a goal back close to half-time, Barça reinstated their two-goal cushion minutes later through Lewandowski’s second.
A little over twenty minutes into the second half, the Poland captain completed his hat-trick to make it 4-1. Substitute Ferran Torres added the icing on the cake with the fifth goal. It was a stunning display from Barcelona and the result was nothing short of what they deserved.
Speaking after the game, manager Xavi Hernandez ran out of words to praise his star striker Lewandowski.
“Lewandowski is insatiable. Hat-trick for Lewandowski today. But not only that, he plays and he makes the team play. He knows the third man, and reads space to perfection. I’m in love. His signing was fantastic,” he said.
“We never had any doubts with the signing of Lewandowski. We knew his abilities, his humility, and he had a great desire to sign for Barcelona. He’s a marvellous person and professional, really,” he later added in the press conference.
Xavi insisted that Lewandowski was the best striker for Barcelona and counted him among the three best in the game currently, along with two other players, saying:
“I don’t know if Lewandowski is the best striker in Europe, but he is the best striker for us,” he said, before adding, “Lewandowski… who else? Benzema too. I think they’re the best right? Haaland too. But it’s difficult to compare them.”
The Barcelona manager also hailed Ousmane Dembele, who put in a terrific performance even though he was not among the goals.
“Dembele is in excellent form. He’s happy. He’s enjoying himself, and he’s very important to me. He assists and he scores. He’s like a dagger, and we have to take advantage of that.”
Xavi even went on to compare Dembele to Neymar, saying: “Dembele is at the same level as the best Neymar. He had suffered a lot in his first years here, but I always said it. He has great abilities, and he deserves everything that is happening to him.
“There are no wingers in the world that can cut inside to both sides like Dembele can. I had never seen a player with his ability to dribble 1v1. You rarely find players like that. Trust me, he’s an amazing player.”
The 42-year-old was also impressed by the performances of the substitutes on the night. “I liked the performance of the substitutes. They did very well. Ferran, Memphis, Pablo Torre, Piqué and Gavi were all very good,” he stated.
The manager also insisted that Barcelona are still dealing with the departure of Lionel Messi but have found players who can take the club back to greatness.
“We won’t get over the departure of Messi because he is the best player in history. However, now there are other players who are destined to make history, but it won’t be easy.”
On the impact of Ferran Torres from the bench, Xavi said: “Ferran came back with a bang.”
Talking about Jules Koundé, who started in his natural centre-back role against Plzen, he said: “I see Koundé as a centre-back, but he can play anywhere across the defensive line because he’s an exceptional player.”
The manager also insisted that he was thrilled about the budding partnership between Lewandowski and Pedri. However, he also had some advice for the latter to improve his game.
“The partnership between Lewandowski and Pedri is very exciting. Pedri still has to lose possession less frequently and improve his final pass, but he is fantastic,” he exclaimed.
While he was not shy about doling out praises, Xavi also admitted that he was not happy with the goal Barcelona conceded. “I’m bothered by the goal we conceded. We were superior and the result shows that. We conceded a goal due to our mistake. We have to improve these errors,” he said.
Further talking about the result, he said: “Good start for us, but we have a long road ahead. It’s hard to highlight something today, but I’ll say that our intensity. Everything was done well, and the understanding of the match was good.”
“If you shoot 20 times in one match, you’re more closer to winning than losing,” Xavi added.
With four wins in four games in a row in all competitions, the atmosphere around Spotify Camp Nou is electric. However, Xavi urged that the team still have a long way to go before they are truly back.
“It’s too early to say that Barcelona is back. These are only three points in the end,” he said.
“It’s a necessary victory because victories always give morale and confidence. The Culés will wake up happy, but I reiterate that they are only three points. I join this euphoria but with caution, calm and with all the humility in the world,” he said.
Hailing the atmosphere at the stadium, Xavi added: “The Camp Nou felt like a big concert tonight. The audience was sincere. We have to leave our soul on the pitch.”
Barcelona’s next Champions League will see them take on old foes Bayern Munich. However, Xavi insisted that the attention will be on the La Liga clash against Cadiz first. “We have to focus on Cadiz first, then on Bayern. We have to think three points at a time.”
Xavi was also asked about his opinion on PSG being criticised for using planes for short trips for matches. In response, he said: “We are part of society, and we cannot be different to anyone else. If the government asks us to do something, we’ll listen to them.”
Source: BarçaTV+
