"With this attitude, we will win for sure" - Marc-Andre ter Stegen believes Xavi has already made a difference at Barcelona, claims they will be 'difficult' to defend against
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has praised the impact of Xavi Hernandez, who was appointed as the club's manager recently. According to the German, opposition teams will have a tough time defending against the concepts of the former Blaugrana midfielder.
Barcelona put in an improved performance in their Champions League clash with Benfica yesterday evening but were left disappointed as the game ended in a goalless draw. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is proud of the team's effort regardless of the result.
Full-time: Barcelona 0-0 Benfica https://t.co/H43pFoS9LR
"It was a super intense game. We deserved more, I’m proud of the team," the goalkeeper said at the end of the game.
The Catalan giants suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat during the reverse fixture under Ronald Koeman. Ter Stegen made a reference to that result to prove the team put up an improved performance yesterday evening.
He said: "We faced a team that scored three goals against us in the first leg and they’re a great team.
"We did a great job and a great effort, but unfortunately we couldn’t score. It wasn’t easy. We just missed the goal."
The German then went ahead to praise the changes Xavi has introduced to the team after being appointed as Barcelona's manager recently.
BENFICA CAME THIS CLOSE FROM BEATING BARCELONA 😱 https://t.co/Ut96jNSwMP
"Everyone sees the change with Xavi," he was quoted as saying. "We are all very plugged in."
"We have an idea of playing that is very difficult for the opponent to defend. We leave them with very little space to mark us. This is good. With this attitude we will win for sure."
Barcelona's Champions League fate to be decided on Matchday 6
Barcelona missed the chance to seal their qualification into the Champions League knockout phase after failing to beat Benfica yesterday evening. The Blaugrana's fate will now be decided in the final round of group stage games early next month.
As it stands, the Catalan giants occupy second position in Group E with seven points from five games - just two points above third-placed Benfica. They will face table leaders Bayern Munich in their last group stage game next month in a clash that could decide their fate.
A victory against the Bavarians will secure straight qualification for Xavi's men. If they lose, they'll need Benfica to also suffer a defeat against Dynamo Kiev in order to go through. Only time will tell if they'll progress or not.