Barcelona midfielder Xavi has rejected any comparisons between his side and rivals Real Madrid.

There had been some suggestions in the media recently that Real had slowly but surely been able to emulate the Catalan's successful playing style.

The two teams met recently in this season's Supercopa final with Barca coming out on top in an evenly contested two-legged encounter.

However, Xavi claims that Madrid with their focus on individual talent can never be compared to Barca's system of collectivism.

"The biggest difference is the emphasis on individuals," Xavi told Der Tagesspiegel.

"That makes them currently the opposite of the way we play in Barcelona.

"You see, we have great individuals like Lionel Messi, who can single-handedly turn a game around, but we are still a lot more about our unity and our collectivism.

"Madrid, however, try to win games with individual class. For us, it is about the collective.

He added: "In Madrid's case, it is not merely that they wanted to copy us."

"They attacked us early, because they have done so for four or five years, whether under Manuel Pellegrini or Jose Mourinho.

"Real Madrid players are extremely talented individuals and can turn the game in their favour."

Xavi also admitted recently that the 3-4-3 system Barca employed in recent matches has not been as successful as expected because it leaves them vulnerable at the back.