Barca Vs Real Madrid All Matches
Gaia Shaw
Barcelona have lost both of their matches against Real Madrid so far this season, and are only guaranteed one more opportunity for redemption before the summer. That comes on April 21 in a La Liga match at the Bernabeu.
Barcelona sporting director Deco has confirmed that Xavi is not in danger of losing his job, saying: "Nothing has changed. It is just one defeat. The manager still has the trust from the president and everyone inside the club. It's a tough defeat and a trophy we wanted to win, but nothing more than that."
Barcelona have endured far worse spells of form over the past three years and the squad have a more solid foundation to recover from an awful result than they did when Xavi took over in November 2021.
Vinicius Jr came into the game with just three goals in 15 previous Clasicos and an idea that Barcelona defender Araujo had often had the better of their personal duels. He has also had a frustrating season with injuries and has not scored for Madrid since November.
Gundogan has been operating as a deep-lying playmaker since Romeu fell out of favour in October, but the former Manchester City player has only shown his best form at Barcelona when stepping into the box and adding finesse in the final third.
Florentino Perez also touched on Carlo Ancelotti when speaking to Movistar TV after the match: "He is truly a coach who fits in very well with Madrid's style, both in the way he understands football and in his behaviour. He fits very well."
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez would not be drawn on the potential transfer of Kylian Mbappe while speaking after the match: "Really, it's not the day to talk about this. The Real Madrid fans are watching their players."
When Barcelona beat Real Madrid in Texas in a pre-season friendly in July, Dani Carvajal had this to say in response: "When it's time for real competitions, we will be above Barcelona, I'm sure of it."
Carlo Ancelotti as classy as always on Spanish TV speaking after the win: "The scoreline was a bit harsh, for how Barca had played. Things got a bit heated at the end. I don't like backheels. I said it to Vinicius and to Bellingham, we did not need to do those."
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