Barcelona boss Xavi has insisted that his side are not comfortable at the top of La Liga despite boasting an 11-point advantage over second-placed Real Madrid.
The Catalan outfit continued their excellent run of form with a 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Sunday night, with Pedri scoring the only goal of the match in the 18th minute.
The victory was Barcelona's 11th in a row in all competitions, including their last six in La Liga, with the result moving them 11 points clear of Real Madrid at the summit.
Los Blancos will have the chance to cut the lead to eight points when they face Elche on Wednesday, but the lead is a big one at this stage of the campaign considering that Barcelona have won 18 of their 21 league games this term, suffering just one defeat in the process.
Xavi has praised his players for their performance against Villarreal, but the Spaniard has insisted that the points advantage over Real Madrid is not decisive due to there being "17 matches left".
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"Eleven points is not that big of a difference. There are still 17 matches left, but I'm happy with our progress so far. We still have to improve many things," Xavi told reporters in his post-match press conference.
"We tried to play out from the back (against Villarreal). There are a lot if dangerous plays that we couldn't score. We played well in a difficult stadium. Our pressing was excellent, but we couldn't make the last pass. We missed the final pass today. We were not precise.
"These are three vital points to keep on fighting for La Liga. The team is at the best it has ever been since I arrived."
Xavi also insisted that Barcelona are not a defensive team despite only conceding seven times in their 21 league matches this season and winning a number of matches by a narrow scoreline.
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"Our defence is not our main weapon. We are a very offensive team, but we're winning with minimal results because we're missing the final pass. We had many clear chances to score more than one goal today. We're a very offensive team," he added.
"I am calm and happy with the midfielders we have. The first defender in the team is Robert [Lewandowski], then Gavi and Raphinha. Everyone defends when we don't have the ball."
Araujo also reserved special praise for Ronald Araujo, with the Uruguay international in strong form for the Catalan outfit since returning from injury.
"Araujo is spectacular. Fast, aggressive, strong. He's a top 'correcting' defender. With the ball, Ronald Araujo is the player that has improved the most with me," he added.
Barcelona will now switch their attention to the Europa League, as they prepare to welcome Manchester United for the first leg of their knockout round playoff on Thursday night.
Matt Law
