Barcelona started out their pre-season campaign with a friendly game against Arsenal.

It surely didn’t look like a friendly fixture, as the Gunners put in an intense performance from the first minute.

Xavi was critical of the fouls from Mikel Arteta’s men, in what was supposed to be a friendly battle.

There were 33 fouls committed in the game – 21 by Arsenal, 12 by Barca.

“Arsenal’s intensity wasn’t normal. Too many fouls for a friendly game,” Xavi told the media after Barcelona lost to Arsenal 5-3 in a pre-season game.

Xavi also believes that his team lost because it was just their first game of the summer, whereas it was Arsenal’s fourth.

“They’ve already played more games. This is our first one. We saw positive signs against a more prepared opponent,” Xavi told reporters after the game.

“I understand that everyone wants to win, but I told Arteta that it looked like a Champions League match. The intensity that they put was too high

“Regardless of the result, my conclusions from this match are positive.”