After seeing his team lose for the third time in a row at home on Sunday, April 25, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez gave a candid rating of his own performance.
Rayo Vallecano defeated the Catalans 1-0 at the Camp Nou in La Liga, and Xavi admitted to reporters after the game that he had made a mistake before the game.
As a coach, I made a mistake today. My players were not motivated by me. When I come out here, I immediately recognize it. He explained, “I can state what I’ve done wrong, but I can’t say what others have done.” “I believed we’d come out of the meeting with a lot of energy.”
For the first time in the club’s history, Barcelona lost three consecutive home games in the same season. Barcelona is now in second place in the rankings, but a top-four finish is still a long way off.
With five games remaining, the Catalans and Sevilla are tied on 63 points. Atletico Madrid sits two points behind in fourth place, with Real Betis, the Copa del Rey winners, in fifth place with 57 points.
Xavi will be concerned by Barcelona’s home form. After losing three straight home games to Eintracht Frankfurt, Cadiz, and Rayo, the club now has a week to prepare for their upcoming match at the Camp Nou.
He explained, “We’re in a terrible circumstance.” We are still in the Champions League spots, but we have complicated things by beating Cádiz and Rayo, which would have nearly guaranteed us a place in the competition. Now it’s time to relax and disengage, and we’ll get back on track in the middle of the week to prepare for the Mallorca game.
Xavi was also asked if Barcelona should have been awarded a penalty in the second half. Alejandro Catena seemed to shove midfielder Gavi in the penalty area, but referee Isidro Daz de Mera waved off Barcelona’s protestations.
