Former Barcelona captain, Xavi has said Real Madrid does not want to play beautiful football like their bitter arch-rival, Barcelona.
Xavi believes the Spanish and European champions lack the culture of beautiful football at the Santiago Bernabeu, highlighting Jose Mourinho’s time in charge from 2010-2013.
Zinedine Zidane’s men have struggled this season, and are already 16 points behind leaders, Barca in the league.
“Barcelona is the final exam for a player,” Xavi, who now plays for Al Sadd in Qatar told El Pais.
“It is the most difficult club and the most demanding in the world. Madrid do not play so beautifully. At the Bernabeu, if a defender hoofs the ball into the stand it is fine. That is the culture. The fans applaud.
“At the Camp Nou you knock the ball into the stand and the grumbles are so loud it is negative. Since [Johan] Cruyff’s time.”
Xavi added: “Mourinho’s Madrid hit the ball direct over the top. Mourinho told his players never to stop the ball, to play quickly and then [Angel] Di Maria, Cristiano [Ronaldo] or [Karim] Benzema would break. Now they do it with [Gareth] Bale. They don’t want to play football.
“Madrid break apart, seven players attack and Casemiro stays back on his own to cover the centre,” the 37-year-old continued.
“[Barca midfielder Sergio] Busquets cannot do that as even I am faster than he is. Casemiro is super-fast, but he has trouble with everything else as he has not worked on it.
“He has other characteristics, is more defensive, makes more tackles, covers more ground, but he does not dominate space-time. If you had started with Casemiro aged 12, 13, 15, then he would have that.”
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