"Not just with the ball, but also without it" - Barcelona boss refers to ex-Real Madrid attacker as 'world-class' after 1-0 Sociedad win 

Barcelona manager Xavi hailed Real Sociedad player Takefusa Kubo as 'world-class' following his team's late 1-0 victory on Saturday.

Ronald Araujo secured all three points at the death with a perfectly-placed header from close range in the 92nd minute at the Anoeta.

Coming into the match on the back of a 2-1 home loss to Real Madrid in the Clasico, the defending champions were headed towards another setback. La Real had done a great job of keeping their mighty visitors at bay and were minutes away from gaining a point against them.

However, in the dying embers, Ilkay Gundogan traced Araujo's run and squared a cross for the Uruguayan to head into the back of the net. The goal was originally ruled out for offside, but following a careful VAR review, it was allowed to stand, much to Sociedad's dismay.

Xavi lauded his side's performance in the post-match presser, but also reserved a special mention for a rival player. He said (via football-espana.net):

"I think Real Sociedad deserved much more. They are a great team and Imanol (Alguacil) is a great coach. (Takefusa) Kubo is a world-class footballer. Not just with the ball, but also without it.”

The Japanese international, who has five goals from 11 appearances in the league this season, drew a blank here but gave Barcelona a run for their money.

Full of energy and elegance, Kubo was the chief creator for Sociedad with five key passes. His dribbling ability was top-notch and he won five ground duels too, demonstrating his ball-winning capabilities.

Unfortunately, the former Real Madrid player's stellar night was ruined by a late, late Barcelona goal.

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Barcelona have a tough road ahead

Barcelona managed to recover from their El Clasico defeat at home by beating Real Sociedad, but only just. The Basque Country outfit had kept them at arm's length for the longest time but their resistance was ultimately broken as the Blaugrana's superior quality prevailed.

However, if the reigning Spanish champions are to remain in close proximity to Real Madrid, and even the surprisingly impressive Girona, it's imperative for them to hit the throttle again.

In the coming weeks, Barcelona are set to face Rayo Vallecano, who have caused them great trouble in recent seasons. Then, there's a home match against another in-form side, Atletico Madrid. Girona and Valencia follow right after that.

All these games are a potential banana skin for Xavi's side. It will be interesting to see how they cope with this testing run, with Champions League games also interspersed between them.