The matches follow one another and look the same for FC Barcelona lately. After sinking against Antwerp in the Champions League (in a match which did not really count since the Catalans were guaranteed to finish at the top of their group), Barça hoped to relaunch in La Liga on the Valencian pitch. Especially since Xavi’s team was already suffering a heavy defeat against Girona (2-4). But not enough to create a burst of pride visibly since the Blaugranas once again delivered a clumsy match punctuated by a new draw (1-1).
In the last 5 La Liga matches, Barça has only won once, against Atlético Madrid. And this Saturday, the new poor performance had a big impact on the ranking. Now Real Madrid, second in La Liga, can take a 7-point lead over their rival after 17 days. Worse still, Girona, leader, can fly away and take a 9-point lead. FC Barcelona is therefore already losing ground in the race for La Liga. And the match against Valencia particularly annoyed Xavi who did not hesitate to bang his fist on the table after the match.
Xavi’s immense frustration
“The summary of the season is that we don’t decide games, we have to be one of the worst teams in Europe in terms of efficiency. We have to demand more from ourselves, we have a long way to go, we always miss the last pass, these are very clear situations to judge. You have to be yourself. I am critical because our performance is not at the level we are supposed to perform at. (…) Tonight, it’s a match to win comfortably. When we forgive, we end up being struck down”he said before continuing.“We need to improve and be more inspired. It comes down to confidence, we lack confidence to score goals.”.
The Spanish technician also spoke about the reaction of his locker room to this situation. “The locker room is also angry, frustrated and upset. We created a lot of chances against a very difficult opponent. They only created that of the throw-in at the start, a misunderstanding, and the goal”. Same feeling from Joao Cancelo after the meeting. The Portuguese appeared dejected after this new poor performance. “This point has no taste for me. We were superior. We had the opportunity to score four goals and all that’s left is a point. LaLiga is getting difficult, to be honest, but we have to fight. For us, it’s a bad result.”
The season could change this Monday
The former Manchester City defender continued with new strong words. “When I was 20, I didn’t think the same way as I do today. The pressure affects me differently today. It’s a learning process. This is a point which does not have much taste. Nobody will remember that we had a good match, only the draw. According to information from Sport, the pressure around Xavi could increase in the coming days as Barça faces Almeria this Wednesday. For what ? Because currently, the Catalan leadership is divided since Barça finished leader of its group in C1. But drawing PSG or Inter Milan this Monday in the round of 16 could change everything since Barça would clearly feel threatened in Europe… And if for the moment Deco, sporting director of the club, continues to support Xavi, new bad results could change everything…
