Xavi Hernandez was delighted to welcome Frenkie de Jong and Pedri back from injury as Barcelona got their title charge back on track with a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday.
Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the game just before the break as Barca restored their 11-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga with eight games to be played.
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De Jong started after one month on sidelined and Pedri came off the bench in the second half to make his first appearance since getting injured against Manchester United in the Europa League in February.
“Without taking away anything from the other players, they are vital players for us,” Barca coach Xavi said in his post-game news conference. “They improve everything that comes to them. They understand our model of play, that’s why they are so crucial to what we do.
“Frenkie was brilliant this afternoon. Pedri also improves everything. He brings calm when the ball comes to him. For all the forwards, the presence of Pedri will improve them.”
After back-to-back stalemates against Girona and Getafe, the win over Atletico reaffirmed Barca’s place at the top of the table as they chase a first LaLiga title since 2019.
However, despite the size of their lead over Madrid, Xavi insists there is still work to be done.
“The outlook is good, but we are not champions yet,” he stressed. “Nothing is set in stone. We have another tough game on Wednesday at Rayo Vallecano.
“The players don’t feel like champions. If they do we will tell them that they are not yet.”
