'Manchester United is coming back': Barcelona boss Xavi praises Ten Hag; earns fans' respect
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez labelled Manchester United as one of Europe's 'top teams' and lauded their manager Erik ten Hag's work at Old Trafford following a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou in the Europa League on Thursday.
FollowLast season, Barcelona and Manchester United were struggling and desperate to restore their lost glory. Cut to February 2023, and both teams are becoming a force to reckon with again. On Thursday, football enthusiasts witnessed just that. And Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez couldn't agree more.
Xavi heaped praises on Manchester United and the work the Red Devils' manager Erik ten Hag has put into making them one of Europe's 'top teams' following their 2-2 draw at Camp Nou in their Europa League knockout playoff first-leg clash.
The initial blow came from Barcelona when Marcos Alonso headed in at the back post. Nevertheless, the in-form Marcus Rashford quickly answered with an unexpected goal from a tight angle.
A few minutes later, the Red Devils took the lead as Jules Kounde unintentionally diverted a cross from Marcus Rashford into his own goal. Yet when Raphinha's shot curled into the far corner, Xavi's team ensured that the stakes were equal going into the second leg.
After a tense encounter, Xavi claimed to have sent Ten Hag a motivating message after his team ended Barca's impressive 11-match winning streak.
"It was a really tough game, really difficult, with a lot of intensity, passion, rhythm," Xavi told BT Sport after the draw. "I think we have to be proud because we competed really well until the end. We could have won in the last two chances, but we played against a top team in Europe."
"I think Manchester United is coming back and today they showed the best version. We competed really well. We need to be proud. Now we need to compete well in Old Trafford," the Spaniard added.
"I think both teams are more or less in the same moment, in the same position, that we are coming back. I said to [Erik] Ten Hag now, 'congratulations', because he's doing very well and they are Manchester United," the Barcelona boss continued.
"It can be a final, a semi-final, a quarter-final maybe in the future of the Champions League, but now we are in the Europa League and we are coming back. Today we showed our very best performance, a very good performance from both teams," he concluded.
Manchester United fans took to Twitter to applaud Xavi's words, and praised the Barcelona boss for showing respect towards Ten Hag's hardwork. "Game recognizes game," noted one fan on Twitter, while another added, "And congrats to Xavi too. Barcelona becomes stronger now."
Here's a look at how fans reacted to the thrilling draw between Barcelona and Man United, and Xavi's words for Ten Hag:
