Coach Xavi admitted that Barca are regressing and have just played the worst match under his leadership, after losing to Shakhtar Donets, missing out on an early exit from the Champions League.
"Barca deserved to lose," Xavi said after the match at Volkspark - a neutral stadium in Hamburg, Germany, which Shakhtar used as their home ground for European matches. "The team played very badly and did not follow any plan before any match. It was one of the worst matches in my two years at Barca. We have to be honest and self-critical."
Coach Xavi during Barca's 0-1 loss to Shakhtar on a neutral field in Hamburg, Germany in the fourth round of Group H of the Champions League on November 7. Photo: AFP
Having had the chance to secure a place in the next round with two legs to spare, Barca were lacklustre at Volkspark. They had 69% possession throughout the 90 minutes, but only managed one close-range shot - a weak and unmarked header from Gavi in the second half. Superstar Robert Lewandowski continued to disappoint, failing to score in his last six matches in all competitions - his longest such run since failing to score in 10 consecutive games for Dortmund between December 2010 and February 2011.
Not only the attack, Barca's defense also had a day of poor performance. They let Danylo Sikan comfortably jump high to head the ball into the penalty area, scoring the only goal in the 40th minute. Even if it weren't for Marc-Andre ter Stegen's excellence in the face-offs, Barca would have suffered a heavier defeat.
According to Xavi, Barca responded and played better in the second half but it was not enough. "The Champions League requires you to perform at your best and we did not achieve that. It is a clear step backwards," the Spanish coach continued. "We are very angry. The confidence is down, we are in a rut and need to reset."
Xavi was particularly disappointed when Barca were dominated by Shakhtar at times, despite playing on a neutral pitch in Hamburg due to the war in Ukraine. "I don't understand what the problem is for Barca," the 43-year-old coach said. "We lost a lot of balls, didn't attack well, didn't handle crosses well and paid the price for mistakes."
Gavi is tackled by a Shakhtar defender while passing the ball during the match on November 7. Photo: FC Barcelona
The defeat to Shakhtar has brought the prospect of being eliminated from the Champions League group stage, as in the last two seasons, back to Barca. In the 2021-2022 season, the Catalan club finished third in the group stage and had to play in the Europa League - where they lost 3-4 on aggregate to Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals. A similar scenario played out last season, when Barca finished third in the group stage again, then lost 3-4 to Man Utd in the Europa League play-offs.
But Xavi is not worried, stressing that Barca still have the power to decide, with a home game against Porto next on November 28 before a trip to Antwerp in the final match on December 13. "It's a pity because we want to get to the knockout stages early. But we can still decide our fate and that's a big positive," he said. "We can complete the task in the next game against Porto. The team is lacking confidence and needs to recover. Not long ago, Barca played great football. It's just a matter of spirit."
Hong Duy
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