Barcelona suffered a major hit after being eliminated by Manchester United in the knockout round play-offs at the UEFA Europa League. For Xavi’s team, the continental competitions have been a headache with four eliminations in a year. Followingthe arrival of names such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso, Joules Koundé orFranck Kessié, this is just another huge disappointment.
However, there’s still hope. Barcelona are first place inLa Liga, won the Spanish Super Cup and will play in the semifinals of the Spanish Cup. The problem is thousands of fans are wondering if this team have what it takes toward the final stretch of the season against a powerhouse like Real Madrid.
Now, Xavi is facing criticism once again during his rebuilding process at Barcelona. Nevertheless, in a shocking statement, the coach believes that, even after failing in Champions League and Europa League, the season could still finish on a good note.
Xavi sends message of hope for Barcelona’s fans
Prior to the game against Almeria in La Liga, Xavi was questioned again about Barcelona’s lack of results in continental tournaments. Following two groupstages failures at the Champions League and two knockout round exits in Europa League (Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester United), Xavi considers this is not a bad season.
“The biggest disappointment of the season was the elimination from Champions (League). This one hurts (Europa League), but we have La Liga and he Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey). For us it’s essential to finish the season on a good note. We have to compete in La Liga and the Cup. We have to keep winning titles. It’s tough to lose, but we have to keep competing.”
Xavi’s results in Europe are far away of what everyone’s expecting, especially after the star players who arrived in the summer. In the last four tournaments (Champions League or Europa League), Barcelona have six wins, six ties and eight losses. They have received 33 goals. This season, in both competitions, they received at least a goal in every match played.
“We have to be 200 per cent focused. If we win those tournaments, it will be really a good season. In a big club like this, it’s a good season if we win La Liga. It depends on us and we have hope. We’re more competitive and we can win titles.”