Xavi admitted that Barcelona are suffering from a "confidence" crisis after handing Antwerp their first ever Champions League win on Wednesday.
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Barcelona beaten by Antwerp in Belgium George Ilenikhena scored the winner in stoppage time Xavi blames lack of inspiration for defeat WHAT HAPPENED?
The Blaugranas succumbed to their second defeat in a space of three days which has sent the alarm bells ringing at the Catalan club. After falling to Girona on Sunday in La Liga, they were condemned to a 3-2 defeat by Antwerp in the Champions League which has put Xavi firmly under the scanner.
Antwerp had not tasted success in their debut Champions League campaign until goals from Arthur Vermeeren, Vincent Janssen and then George Ilenikhena in stoppage time helped them script a memorable win over the Spanish giants. Although Barcelona qualified for the knockouts as group winners the two successive defeats led Xavi to admit that his troops are lacking the confidence and inspiration required to turn around the situation.
AdvertisementWHAT XAVI SAID ABOUT CONFIDENCE
Speaking to reporters after the match, Xavi said: "I don’t like to criticise my players. I don’t think it’s positive, but they have to cheer up. They have more than what they are showing. Again, we had some important individual mistakes here tonight. Last Sunday we played a good game. Tonight, the feeling is not good. It’s a matter of confidence. The coaching staff is giving the players full confidence. We have rotated and given a chance to players. Now it’s a matter of being inspired, and right now we’re not. Barcelona’s shirt has a lot of weight, there’s added pressure, and players need to deal with it.”
FC Barcelona Web oficialWHAT XAVI SAID ABOUT LAPORTA
There were reports that club president Joan Laporta had urged Xavi to field his best starting XI including big names like Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan for the inconsequential tie. However, the manager denied such speculations and hit back at the "unnecessary tension" that was on the rise before the match.
"I have the feeling there’s been a lot of unnecessary tension created on the build-up to this game," he said.
"We should be happy to get qualified for the knock-out stages, something we couldn’t do in the previous two seasons. Sometimes we need to remember where we come from. Tension comes from the outside. Inside, we don’t have a bad feeling. What happened with the list was a consensus decision. Robert (Lewandowski) came to us and said he was ready to play. (Ilkay) Gundogan also told us he was feeling fine. Then we made the call, but it’s not the case that someone was undermined here.
“I have the full confidence of President Laporta and Deco. We have been speaking for almost two hours today and everything is going well. You can take any conclusion you want."
GettyWHAT NEXT?
Despite the recent setbacks, Xavi remains confident that his side has the potential to turn around their fortunes.
“I am positive. I think I can revert the situation," he insisted. "We are alive in four different competitions. The Champions League was our main target to improve this season and we have done it. We just need to regroup, focus and get better for the next game.”
Barcelona will go again at the Mestalla against Valencia on Sunday with the hope of returning to winning ways.