Xavi Hernandez is refusing to rule out a late run for the title and Gerard Pique proclaimed Barcelona are back after they hammered Real Madrid 4-0 in Sunday's Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double and further goals from Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres ended Barca's six-game winless run against Madrid, dating back to 2019, and cut the gap on Carlo Ancelotti's side to 12 points with a game in hand and 10 matches still to play.
Just minutes after full-time, defender Pique posted «We are back» on social media as Barca stretched their unbeaten streak in LaLiga to 13 games.
«Maybe we can say we're back,» coach Xavi said in his post-game news conference when asked if he agreed with Pique's message.
— Marcotti: Destruction of Madrid shows how far Barca have come — Ancelotti on El Clasico thrashing: 'It was my fault' — Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
«This is the path to follow. This is the way we want to play. It was a complete performance. We were much better than Madrid. We played almost as the home team at their ground.
»We could easily have scored five or six. We changed the negative dynamic of losing the last few Clasicos. It's a day to enjoy, not only as a Barca manager, but also a fan."
Barca were ninth in LaLiga when Xavi took over in November but have since risen to third. They are now just three points behind Sevilla in second, who they face after the March international break, but hauling in Madrid has proven tougher.
«I don't know if we can win the title, we can't rule out anything,» Xavi added when asked if his side can now aspire to win the league this season. «Maybe we're a bit late, but this is a very big win for us.
»We've won tonight — and we also have the better head-to-head
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