“The balls fall to him, the deflections” – Xavi says El Clasico defeat for Barcelona is ‘not fair’ as he makes interesting Bellingham claim
Barcelona manager Xavi has delivered his verdict on Jude Bellingham and his side's El Clasico defeat to rivals Real Madrid at home on Saturday, October 28. The Spanish tactician watched his side lose a goal advantage and lost 2-1, with the English phenom playing a key role.
Real Madrid looked off the pace for much of the opening exchanges against a Barcelona side yet to taste defeat this season. The Blaugrana duly went ahead in the clash before second-half changes from Los Blancos turned the game on its head.
Ilkay Gundogan found the back of the net in the sixth minute after some lax defending from the Real Madrid rearguard. The champions looked to be coasting before their opponents seized back control through some quality introductions off the bench, and Bellingham scored twice.
Xavi was left frustrated after the match, claiming to reporters that the result of the match was not a fair reflection of what transpired in the game. The Barcelona manager was also of the opinion that the Englishman is in a purple patch and has good fortune going for him.
He said (via The Madrid Zone):
"The result is NOT fair."
"Bellingham is a great player, but it's true that right now he's in a blessed moment, the balls fall to him, the deflections..."
Real Madrid are now four points clear of their arch-rivals, who suffered their first defeat of the campaign. Los Blancos had to dig deep and fight to pick up maximum points from the encounter away from home.
Bellingham takes plaudits as Carlo Ancelotti outmanoeuvres Barcelona
Having seen his side struggle in the first half as Gundogan scored and Fermin Lopez struck a post, Carlo Ancelotti knew he needed to act. The Italian tactician made a number of changes, including introducing Eduardo Camavinga to play at left-back and midfielder Luka Modric.
These changes gave Los Blancos renewed energy and vigor, and they were easily able to match Barcelona in the second half. Bellingham showed his varied finishing ability to help his side secure all three points on offer in the encounter.
The first goal scored by the 20-year-old was a brilliant strike from outside the penalty box in the 68th minute. His second goal in stoppage time showed his predatory instinct. He found himself in the right place at the right time to poke the ball through the legs of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Jude Bellingham has now scored 10 goals for Real Madrid in 10 La Liga games this season and also has two assists. The Englishman is quickly earning the admiration of his club's fans with his goalscoring performances.