FC Barcelona was almost eliminated from the Champions League on the first day of the group stage where it was mathematically possible to do so. And Xavi Hernández knows all this. “This Champions League is very cruel”, admitted the coach of Barça. “We conceded a lot in the second half. The first one was great again. He was cruel from Munich, through Milan and now too. We deserve better, but this is the Champions League. We had to play the game in the first half, with that intensity and rhythm. We have to row forward”, argued the Egarense.
Xavi focused on the defensive errors that were decisive in the result. “Football is a game of mistakes and today we didn’t defend well. In the first part the intensity was great. We had to move on and we paid dearly for the mistakes. Very serious mistakes that cost us the game”, assumed the coach.
Xavi was very tough in the press conference. “Maybe the process in Europe is longer than we think,” he even said and took responsibility for releasing his players. “I think the approach was good. Perhaps I failed to convey the intensity in the second part. If the defense fails, I fail too. If Piqué or Busquets fail, I fail as a coach. I take full responsibility”, although he admitted that “we have discussed these second line entries from Barella”, referring to the 1-1 play.
Continuing his analysis, Xavi Hernández appreciated the first part as “excellent”, even “clever” he coached. “We found a lot inside and outside. We controlled the game, in a very good first half. And secondly, we are convicted of mistakes. With the first goal we fell apart and the second cannot happen in this football. Two mistakes kill us”, underlined the Barça coach.
Xavi is a Barcelona fan by birth and defined his feelings in front of the press. “As a culé, I feel sad and a little angry. Last year it didn’t give us, but this year it does. They are our mistakes. We let him escape, you threw him into the sea. So it hurts more.” He later described Barça’s situation in Europe as a “hammer blow”.
A heavy blow, which was also suffered by the fans, who yesterday devoted themselves to the team for three hours before the match. “First, we have to apologize to them. We cannot fail and we have failed. He deserved to win, for the environment. It’s wonderful, the public. Too bad it’s not at the level. There are more competitions left for it to work. The goal is still to win titles.”
Along these lines, Xavi remembers that there are still some competitions at stake. “There’s the League, the Super Cup, the Cup… We have to continue,” said Barça’s Catalan coach, who hopes his players will be able to change their chip. “It is a very difficult blow. We are already thinking about Madrid, about the Clásico. We must recover, recover well and try to beat Madrid at the Bernabéu. We have parked the Champions League and focus on the Liga, where we are leader”, he recalled.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
