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11 months ago
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Barcelona were crushed aside by arch-rivals Real Madrid on Sunday, with the Catalans suffering a 4-1 loss in the Spanish Super Cup final.
It was a terrific performance from Los Blancos, driven by the mastery of Vinicius Junior, who scored a splendid hat-trick in the first half of the game.
Speaking after the game, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was extremely disappointed and apologised to the fans.
“I’m embarrassed. This is not the type of match we should play, especially in a final, and against Madrid,” said Xavi (h/t Mundo Deportivo). “As a Barça fan, I am destroyed. I’m sorry for the fanbase. This is not the type of match we should play.”
“We have to improve so much. We’ve played one of the worst matches of the season. We lacked everything. We have to accept criticism. We were not up to par. I want to apologise. Congrats to Real Madrid, a deserved win,” the coach added.
Real Madrid were indeed a class apart in the game, as they capitalised on a quick start, with Vinicius scoring a first-half hat-trick.
“We can’t start a final like this. We were horrible in the first 10 minutes,” Xavi said. “We had a lot of expectations and motivation for the match. It’s a shame.”
Xavi went on to suggest that Vinicius’ third goal, which stemmed from a penalty made Barcelona lose focus in the game.
“We disconnected from the match after the penalty call. We weren’t in the game,” he said. “Football is a sport of mistakes. We did not reduce our mistakes. We increased them.”
One of the main reasons behind Barcelona’s recent downturn is the series of injuries to key players and the inability to sign new players from the market.
Xavi highlighted this problem, adding, “We can’t sign players. It’s the club’s situation. The reality is that we can’t sign anyone.”
Following this humiliating defeat, there is no doubt that Xavi will face immense pressure to retain his job. But the Spaniard is confident he has the backing of the board, despite a seemingly poor run of results.
“I have the club’s trust, it’s pretty clear,” Xavi said, before going on to suggest that he still maintains confidence in his project.
“I believe in my project, in myself, and in my players. I believe in our project until the end of the season,” the coach added.
Xavi, though, did point out that the next few days will be difficult for Barcelona. “I just know it, the next days will be tough, very tough, but we deserve the criticism,” he said.
“A year ago, we lived the best experience in football. We beat Madrid in the final. Now it’s our turn to live the worst part of football,” he added.
Moving on, Xavi assured fans that Barcelona will fight to the core for the remaining three titles, including the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Del Rey.
“We have to reset ourselves and fight for the three remaining titles. We are so disappointed, but Barça will come back,” Xavi highlighted.
