Xavi seemed both shaken and depressed when he held a press conference after the 3-2 defeat against Royal Antwerp. He admitted that he is worried about the level of the team, while he was happy about the first place in the group.
“Yes, I’m worried. It’s normal. The team isn’t feeling well and we’re in a bad moment, after two negative results. We have to be self-critical and improve. Our opponents create something, but we don’t do it ourselves” he began.
“Our goal of progressing from the group as winners has been achieved, but of course we must improve. We are in the draw as group winners and we must wish the players the best of luck with that,” he continued.
Here’s what Xavi also said:
The goal for 3-2 in overtime:
“We could have brought something home when we equalized at 2-2, but an unfortunate return ball cost us the game”.
Oriol Romeu’s big mistakes:
“We have to get him back by showing him trust. It wasn’t his day today, but we have to support him, because he is really talented”.
The team’s problems this season:
“Sometimes we have to remember where we come from. We played in the Europa League last season and now we win our group. It’s been three years since the last time”.
The mood of the players after recent disappointments:
“I will speak to them to hear how they feel. It is something we keep internally”.
How will Xavi turn the tide?
“By winning on Saturday. We have a final ahead of us. We believe that the team can improve and achieve better results. Today was a bad result, but the game against Girona hurt more because we go through as group winners”:
Does Xavi feel the support of the club?
“I have total support from the president and from Deco”.
Does Xavi still believe in success?
“Yes, absolutely. There are still four titles up for grabs and we are fully capable of winning them. We are where we need to be in the Champions League, we need to start in the cup and we are in contention in the league, but of course must we improve”.
