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Memphis Depay makes his debut for Barcelona.
Memphis Depay scored the lone goal as Barcelona beat Espanyol. (3:03)
7:17 PM
Xavi said he was happy to win his first game as Barcelona coach, but that his side must improve in attack.
The only goal of the game came from the penalty spot in the second half as Barcelona ended a four-game winless streak in LaLiga.
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Over 74,000 fans attended the game, double the amount that attended the last home game against Alaves, but they almost witnessed a sting in the tale as Espanyol missed a flurry of late chances.
"I was happy with the performance and the three points, I think that's all I can say," Xavi said in his post-game news conference.
The effort was very good. We dominated for 75 minutes, but Espanyol made a lot of problems. We had some luck with the woodwork.
It's hard to attack a back five with a line of four in front of them, but we have to work on that.
We need to take more risks but we need time to do that. We need to know when to go wide and when to come inside. I'm happy but there's more to be done.
Xavi used to coach him, he used to play withGerard Pique.
Xavi said that Barcelona's sluggish final 15 minutes was not a physical problem but a football one and called on his players to "show more personality" moving forward when protecting leads.
With an injury list that included Ansu Fati, Pedri and Ousmane Dembele, Xavi turned to youth for his first game in charge of the club.
He gave a debut to a 17-year-old Ilias Akhomach on the wing with two other teenagers starting the game.
After coming on for Ilias on the left of a front three at half-time, the "exceptional" Abde Ezzalzouli caught the attention of Xavi.
Espanyol wanted to leave with nothing. De Tomas, who hit the post twice, said the penalty was a joke and that the decision changed the game.
"That was a crucial moment," he said at the news conference. I think we were maturing into the game if we took away that.
Reports had surfaced suggesting a heart problem had forced Barcelona's Sergio Aguero to retire the game.
Sources at the Catalan club said that was not true, and referred to a statement released after the Alaves game in September, when it was said that he would be treated and monitored for three months.
"What has been said about him is not true," Xavi said. I talked to him the other day. If he can continue playing football, it's a medical issue.
