Pedri came on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Frenkie de Jong and the Spanish international needed just three minutes to get on the scoresheet for Barcelona’s last goal of the match.
The best 19-year-old in the world – Xavi on Pedri
In his comments during the post-match press conference, Xavi enthused that no other player in the world has the talent that the 19-year-old midfielder possesses.
“There is no bigger talent in the world than Pedri. He’s superb. The way he turns, his timing. It’s simply fantastic,” Xavi said.
“He’s great. Perhaps he’s the best player in his position at 19 years old, I’m sure.”
Xavi praises confident Barcelona for victory over Valencia
The former Barcelona captain and legend also praised his team for the effort against Jose Bordalas’ side, stating that it is never easy to win at the Mestalla Stadium.
Winter signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (23′ & 35′) scored a first-half brace on either side of a Frenkie de Jong (32′) effort and a Carlos Soler (52′) second-half goal helping Valencia get on the scoreboard.
The Barcelona manager said: “A Bordalás team is always tough to play against. But we got a victory that is very good, very good.
“Winning at a ground like Mestalla, which is always difficult, gives us a lot of confidence and morale for Thursday, of course.”
We played better than against Napoli – Xavi
Xavi noted that the team played better against Valencia than they did in their mid-week fixture against Italian side Napoli.
“The spaces have to be attacked and we understand that much better. The first half was excellent. The second, not so much. I’m very happy, but we need more calm in the second part,” the former Al Sadd manager explained.
“Today we were much more effective. If that had happened against Napoli, we would be talking about a better result. Today the result gives us a reason, although I think we played better against Napoli.”
Barcelona face Napoli in the second leg of their Europa League play-off round following a 1-1 first-leg draw at the Camp Nou on Thursday last week.
Sunday’s win takes Barcelona to fourth on the La Liga table, level on points with Atletico Madrid but having played a game less than the Rojiblancos.
AON
