Barcelona boss Xavi now shares what really surprised him about Arsenal in today’s friendly

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Barcelona boss Xavi has admitted that he was surprised by Arsenal’s intensity as his side fell to a 5-3 defeat against Mikel Arteta’s men today.

Arsenal bounced back from the defeat against Manchester United over the weekend with an improved display in California.

Barca took the lead twice in the first-half thanks to goals from Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. But Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz levelled things up for the Gunners.

Leandro Trossard bagged a brace in the second-half to put Arsenal firmly in control of the game. Ferran Torres managed to grab one back for Xavi’s men before a Fabio Vieira stunner ensured Arsenal picked up a 5-3 win. 

And speaking to the media after the pre-season friendly clash, Xavi has admitted that his side weren’t prepared for Arsenal’s intensity.

Xavi surprised by Arsenal

Football.London journalist Kaya Kaynak took to Twitter after the game and shared Xavi’s response after the Barca boss was asked whether he was surprised by Arsenal’s intensity. 

“Our intensity didn’t surprise me, theirs did,” Xavi said. “It’s normal for it to be so intense and for there to be so many injuries and yellow cards.

“They were at a very high level of intensity and rhythm that we weren’t expecting.”

Arsenal have always played at a very high tempo under Arteta and despite the fact that today’s clash was a pre-season friendly, it shouldn’t be a surprise for Xavi.

Arteta would have been looking for a response from his players after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United over the weekend. And it’s fair to say he got one.

There were some encouraging signs for the Gunners today, especially in terms of their attacking play.