Barcelona coach Xavi insists they deserved victory at Real Madrid in the first-leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal.
Barca have the edge in the tie courtesy of an Eder Militao own goal.
"The plan was to have long possessions, win duels and play in Madrid's half. Dominate with the ball. Our first objective is to defend with the ball and today we couldn't do that. We weren't neat on the ball, we also lacked pace. Today we can't boast about how," said Xavi.
He was keen to highlight the great defensive work of his team without the ball because despite having control, Carlo Ancelotti's side were unable to create dangerous chances.
"We were extraordinary defending without the ball. Defending is part of the game, that's why the win is very important, it was a tremendous victory. Today we minimised Madrid. They only had one chance through Rodrygo," he added.
Despite praising his team defensively, he insisted that they need to improve a lot in an area in which Bara usually excel.
Xavi said: "They pushed us into our own half a lot, they subdued us with the ball. It's not the percentage of possession we're looking for. We need to play with the ball because, otherwise, we won't control the games. I'm not satisfied with the game."
