FC Barcelona coach Xavi says his players need to have a winning mentality if they want to win trophies this season.
FC Barcelona was held to a draw by Rayo Vallecano (1-1) on Saturday in La Liga, with an own goal from Florian Lejeune in the 82nd minute, after Unai Lopez opened the scoring in the first period. Xavi was unhappy with the result and questioned his players’ mentality, believing the team lacked instinct.
In the post-match press conference, Xavi said : “I think it was a match of two parts. In the first, we dominated but we didn’t really try to play, we weren’t aggressive. We didn’t have the mentality to move forward. If we want to win trophies this season, we have to change our mentality. The second half was good but not enough. We woke up too late. We did what we wanted: dominate and create chances. We could have scored more. But we have to win these matches if we want to win La Liga, so we have to be self-critical and improve. We need to get closer to the second half performance.
“It’s normal for there to be criticism, but I know we can turn things around, there’s plenty of time. After winning La Liga and the (Spanish) Super Cup (last season), our mentality may have unconsciously dropped a bit. This cannot be allowed, neither on my part as a coach, nor on the part of the players. We must give more. »
The Catalan giants are currently three points behind leaders Girona, who have a game in hand, and sit fourth in the table after 14 rounds. They have won only two matches in their last five outings in all competitions, losing against their great rival, Real Madrid, in the league and against Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe.
