Xavi is adamant that Barcelona still have a lot to do after their team beat Villarreal 1-0 to open an 11-point lead at the La Liga summit.
Barcelona continued their unblemished record this calendar year with their 11th consecutive win thanks to a first-half strike by Pedri at El Madrigal.
The Catalan giants struggled to kill the contest, with Robert Lewandowski deflecting Pepe Reina three times and it almost came back to haunt them at the end.
Samuel Chukwueze was able to pass Marc-André ter Stegen but the goal was quickly ruled out for offside as Barça kept a fifth clean sheet in six league games.
Despite a double-digit lead over Real Madrid in Elche on Wednesday, Xavi hasn’t ruled out the Creamy from the title race.
“There are still a lot of points to play for,” he told Movistar+. “We are in great shape, but we can still improve some things.
“Villarreal” wanted to take possession of the ball today, and they put the squeeze on us. We missed a lot of final passes and got hurt because of that.”
Barcelona have won seven 1-0 wins in 21 La Liga games this season, the most in a full season in the history of the competition.
They have conceded just seven goals in their entire La Liga campaign, six fewer than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues.
“The defensive side of things is not our main weapon, but it brings us results,” Xavi said. “Defense starts with Robert [Lewandowski]which is very noticeable.
“We’re leaving here without giving Villarreal a big chance and we’re leaving very happy.”
Pedri’s 18th-minute goal was his sixth of the season in the league, four of which came in Barça’s 1-0 wins.
Indeed, no player has scored more points for his team in La Liga this season than Pedri (10 points, tied with Betis striker Borja Iglesias).
The Spain international was played on goal after a quick double shot from Lewandowski, but only after Barcelona moved the ball into midfield.
“The game was like this. Either we stole the ball from them or they stole it from us,” Xavi added. “It’s about taking advantage. I think that today’s victory came because of this aspect.”
Barcelona will host Cadiz in their next league match, but first comes the first leg of the Europa League play-off round against Manchester United on Thursday.