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Mikel Arteta hits back at Xavi’s criticisms on Arsenal’s playing strategy.
Mikel Arteta has responded to Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez’s complaints about Arsenal’s approach to their pre-season match on Wednesday night.
The Gunners defeated Barcelona 5-3 in a thrilling friendly match at SoFi Stadium in California, due to a brace from Leandro Trossard and goals from Bukayo Saka, Fabio Vieira, and new addition Kai Havertz.
Despite the fact that it was a “pre-season friendly,” the game was full of heavy tackles and furious duels. In reality, there were 34 fouls committed during the 90-minute period, with 22 of them committed by Arsenal players.
Speaking to the press after the game, Xavi revealed he had complained to Arteta about their approach to the game, saying: “I said to Mikel at the end of the game, it was like a Champions League tie with the intensity they put in. It was not normal for a friendly, but I understand everyone wants to win. For us, it was our first friendly and we went into it off the back of loads of players having had a bug.”
When asked about Xavi’s comments, Arteta hit back and explained to the press how the game became almost boiled over: “At the end of the day, soccer belongs to the players.
“We’re playing in front of 70,000 people and as soon as the game starts they’ll rebel against the coaches as soon as the game starts and they’ll do what they want. As soon as there’s the first foul of the game they’ll start getting intense and they’ll start playing.”
During their preseason tour of the United States, Arsenal defeated Barcelona for the second time. Arsenal will now play Monaco in the Emirates Cup on Wednesday, August 2, before taking on Manchester City in the Community Shield on the following Sunday.