"He has raised the team" - Ex-Real Madrid man Ivan Campo lauds Xavi impact at Barcelona so far

Former Real Madrid ace Ivan Campo has praised Barcelona boss Xavi for his impact at Camp Nou.

The Catalans took a big step forward in the race to finish in the top four after beating Atletico Madrid 4-2 at home.

The Catalans put in a dominant first-half display after going a goal down in the opening ten minutes.

Despite playing the last 20 odd minutes with ten men, Xavi's men managed to hold on to open a two-point lead over Atletico Madrid.

The Blaugrana are still some distance behind league leaders Real Madrid, but they have seen a positive upturn in form since Xavi’s arrival as manager.

Campo believes Xavi’s positive energy coupled with his style has rubbed off on the Barcelona players:

“He has raised the team again, a team with joy. Because of the people who have come and the way of playing that he has brought so special to Barça, and those old players with a lot of experience who have regained that positive energy that Xavi gives off when it comes to making a team and the way of seeing football."

He added:

“And when victories like yesterday’s come, important ones, with a 4-1 at half-time to recover ideas and feelings. And it’s nice to see him celebrate in the locker room,” Campo said.

Barcelona will look to finish as high as possible in La Liga

Barca had a woeful first half of the season that saw them drop to ninth in the league. They were also knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages.

Change was inevitable as the club decided to part ways with Ronald Koeman. Xavi’s arrival did not have an instant impact as he had to navigate through some difficult times. But his ideology was there to be seen, and things finally fell into place against Atletico Madrid.

The team looked like the Barca of old as they passed the ball confidently and carved open Atletico Madrid several times.

The squad is still young and with more games, they will get better. Xavi will hope Barcelona finish as high as they can in the league table in the coming months.