Defeated by Girona in a lively Catalan derby (4-2), FC Barcelona let Real Madrid clinch their 36th La Liga title and once again faltered in an important match. Frustrated by the events, Barcelona’s coach, Xavi, expressed his disappointment after the game.
It was indeed a tough Saturday for FC Barcelona. Under pressure, the Blaugranas traveled to Girona with the obligation to win, firstly to prevent Real Madrid from clinching their 36th La Liga title. Just before their kickoff, Barcelona noticed that Real Madrid had secured a 3-0 victory against Cadiz. Another objective for FC Barcelona was regional pride. Second in the standings before facing their neighbor Girona, the Catalan club aimed to stay ahead of their rivals. However, both objectives were not achieved.
Leading 2-1 until the 65th minute, FC Barcelona completely collapsed with a brace from Portu and a goal from Miguel Gutierrez, resulting in a 4-2 defeat. A significant setback for FC Barcelona, another one for Xavi and his men, who once again faltered as they did against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League (4-1) or Real Madrid in La Liga (3-2). Despite dominating for the majority of the match, the Blaugranas showed significant mental lapses, especially after Portu’s equalizer.
Clearly displeased, Xavi, the 2010 World Cup champion, didn’t mince his words after the game: “We give away matches, we give them away. It happens to us against Madrid, Girona, the day against Paris…” Visibly annoyed, he further elaborated on his stance.
Xavi seeks the flaws in his Barça
Trying to find explanations for his team’s latest failure, he pointed out the youthfulness of his squad and the few errors that led to this disappointment: “I want to believe that it’s part of the immaturity of some players. I’m very disappointed because we were so superior for an hour. We didn’t reach the 1-3 score and on top of that, we gave them three goals.” It’s a mental problem that could recur in the future, and Xavi intends to address it.
The Spanish coach believes that these mental flaws have contributed more to FC Barcelona’s complicated season than the team’s performance: “We prepare the matches very well, but then we make glaring mistakes that have marked our season. The hour we spent was great, but the result doesn’t justify it at all. The last 20 minutes were not up to the Barcelona players.” Congratulating Girona for their qualification in the Champions League and Real Madrid for their title, Xavi also explained that this result wouldn’t affect his continuity next season with the Blaugranas. Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that this latest outing will spark discussions across the Pyrenees.
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