Aubameyang a gift that fell from the sky, says Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez

Following Barcelona's 4-0 win against Osasuna, manager Xavi Hernandez showered praises on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored his sixth goal for the club in their La Liga clash on Sunday. After Ferran Torres scored twice, the former Arsenal striker added the third goal before half-time at Camp Nou. Substitute Riqui Puig scored after the break as the Catalan club cut the gap on second-placed Sevilla to five points with a game in hand.

"Aubameyang is a present that has fallen out of the sky," said Barca boss Hernandez in a post-match press conference. "It's not just [the goals], it's how he trains and his professionalism. He's an example, [all the players] are."

January signings Ferran Torres, Adama Traore, and Aubameyang have helped Barcelona transform their attack, helping the Spanish giants hit four goals in four of their last nine games.

The Gabon forward joined Barcelona on a free transfer after Arsenal agreed to terminate his contract following disciplinary issues.

The former Manchester City star, Torres, opened Barca's scoring from the penalty spot against Osasuna and added a second after splendid work from Ousmane Dembele. The Spaniard has been criticised for his finishing since joining the Catalan side, but now he has netted five goals for Barca.

Manager Xavi Hernandez said about Torres' performance, "I said that the goals would come for Ferran. He's scored goals wherever he's been: Valencia, City and with the Spanish national team. It was just a matter of time. I'm delighted with how he's doing."

The Barca boss also showered praises on Dembele, who has been criticised in recent weeks following a standoff over his contract renewal. The French winger has won supporters' hearts again with assists, including two more against Osasuna.

"If you perform, you make people happy. The fans can see that he's giving everything for Barca, and you can't deceive the supporters. He was great today," Xavi said.

When the Spaniard took over Barca's top job, the team were ninth in La Liga. Now, the Catalan club is riding a wave of euphoria following an unbeaten streak in 12 league games. Barca is now in the third spot and closing in on Sevilla, who drew this weekend. However, they are still 12 points behind league leaders Real Madrid, who they meet in the Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu next weekend.

"Winning LaLiga is very difficult, even if we beat Madrid. Mainly because Madrid isn't slipping up. They've only lost twice. They would have to drop points four times, so we can't be too optimistic," Xavi remarked.

"But the sensations are really good. If we can put this intensity into every game, then we can compete against anyone. Everyone is enjoying themselves, and that can be difficult in modern-day football. We improved our ball circulation and added that intensity [that was missing] from Thursday's goalless draw against Galatasaray. The win gives us a lot of confidence," the Barcelona boss concluded.

Before the Clasico, Barca travels to Istanbul on Thursday for the second leg of their Europa League last 16 clash against Galatasaray. Xavi confirmed that defender Gerard Pique would be fine for the game despite having a thigh problem.

Also read: La Liga: How Barcelona's Aubameyang created history with hat-trick against Valencia