Barcelona coach Xavi said Real Madrid beat his team in the Clasico because they were more mature.

Los Blancos earned a 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu to replace Barca at the top of La Liga on Sunday, moving three points clear of their Catalan rivals.

The defeat came after a draw with Inter in the Champions League which leaves Barcelona on the verge of a second successive group stage elimination.

“They beat us on maturity, in knowing how to compete,” Xavi told a press conference. “We competed worse than our opponents, that’s why we lost the game. They are a team that’s more mature than ours at this moment.”

Barcelona signed various players in the summer, including La Liga’s top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha.

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