"He's a marvelous little player" - Xavi hails 'spectacular' Barcelona star after 1-0 win against Alaves

Barcelona boss Xavi has heaped praise on teenage sensation Pedri after his impressive performance in the Catalan giants' 1-0 win over Alaves on Sunday. The result helped them climb up to fifth place in the La Liga table.

Barcelona headed into the game on the back of two wins and two draws in La Liga. The Blaugrana dominated possession against Alaves but managed to register just four shots on target throughout the course of the game.

Frenkie de Jong gave Xavi's side a much-deserved lead in the 87th minute and helped them claim all three points. Despite de Jong's game-winning goal, Xavi Hernandez heaped praise on Pedri in a post-match press conference.

"He's a marvellous little player, and at 19, to do everything well is spectacular. How he looks in possession, how he perceives the game, he is excellent and the model player. He can lead by character, quality, ambition, it's great to have him back in the team," Xavi told Marca.

Pedri was promoted to the club's first-team last season. He immediately grew into a key member of the side and made 52 appearances across competitions for them, scoring four goals.

The teenager also played a key role in Spain's run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 last summer. His progress at Barcelona this season has, however, been hampered by injuries. Pedri has managed to make just six appearances for the Catalan giants in all competitions this season.

The next two transfer windows could prove to be crucial for Barcelona

Athletic Club v FC Barcelona - Copa Del Rey

Barcelona have been in turmoil on and off the pitch in recent times. The club are facing debts totalling up to €1.35 billion and are currently sitting in fifth place in the La Liga table. The Catalan giants were also knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage.

The club were forced to part ways with Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi, arguably their two best players, in order to reduce their wage bill last summer. The Spanish giants failed to sign adequate replacements for the duo, and have therefore struggled in attack this season.

Furthermore, the club have also made some poor signings in recent transfer windows. The likes of Luuk de Jong, Miralem Pjanic and Martin Braithwaite have been unable to produce the goods at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona currently possess a core group of youngsters in Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati, who are seen as the future of the club. The Spanish giants must therefore sign players who will compliment the aforementioned stars and Xavi Hernandez's style of football.

The club have shown signs of improvement under the management of Xavi Hernandez. They have won six, drawn five and lost five games in all competitions since the Spanish tactician took over. They have lost just once in nine La Liga games under Xavi's management.

The Catalan giants must make use of the next couple of transfer windows to make the right signings if they are to continue their progress under Xavi.