Xavi Hernandez has revealed how his Barcelona side were able to neutralize Napoli during their Europa League playoff on Thursday night.
Having finished the first leg 1-1 at Camp Nou, the Catalan giants travelled to Italy with a different game plan on Thursday, beating the Serie A title contenders 4-2 to progress to the round of sixteen.
Xavi also described the win by Barca as the “most complete” performance of the season.
Two early goals from Jordi Alba and Frenkie de Jong put the visitors in charge of the tie.
Lorenzo Insigne fired one back from the penalty spot after Victor Osimhen was brought down in the box but Gerard Pique added a third before half-time and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck on the hour.
Speaking after the match, Xavi said, “We pressed well, high up, whenever we lost the ball…just like we did at home,” according to UEFA.com.
“Napoli pressed high up and spaces were available in behind them. From defending a corner, we made a textbook counterattack.
“We took advantage of our fast players. We understood how to create and use a ‘free man’. I’m very happy for the team,” he said.