Arsenal defeated Barcelona (5-3) in a friendly match on Thursday night. After the game, the Catalan coach Xavi criticized the intensity shown by the Gunners in the match. Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta, didn’t waste time responding to his counterpart.
“We played our first match and they were playing the Champions League final. The intensity they put in was not normal for a friendly match, but I understand that everyone wants to win. For us, it was the first preparation match, and we were coming back from a virus (…) It’s not normal to have so much intensity and tactical fouls. We all want to be competitive, but it’s a friendly match,” Xavi said in a press conference after his team’s defeat.
These comments didn’t sit well with Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s coach. He decided to make things clear two weeks before the Community Shield against Manchester City. “Football belongs to the players, and they are very competitive. We play in front of 70,000 people, and the players get motivated, and of course, we all want to win,” firmly explained the Spanish coach of Arsenal, as reported by Footmercato.
Mikel Arteta’s men will play their first official match on August 6th in the Community Shield, where they will face Manchester City. As for Barcelona, in their second friendly match, they will take on their eternal rival, Real Madrid, next Saturday, still in the United States.
