"I'm very angry" - Xavi left fuming after suffering first defeat as Barcelona boss
Xavi has been left fuming after suffering his first defeat as Barcelona manager against Real Betis on Saturday. The Blaugrana suffered a 1-0 loss at home against Manuel Pellegrini's side in La Liga.
Having won their last two La Liga games, Barcelona were hopeful of building on their momentum against Real Betis. However, the Blaugrana were handed their fourth league defeat of the season by the Andalusia-based club instead.
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Speaking after the game, the 41-year-old said that Barcelona deserved to get at least a point for their performance. Xavi, though, was not happy with how Barcelona conceded the goal on the night, admitting that he was 'angry' about it. He said:
"We deserved more; it's a shame to have not gotten something out of this game; it was there to be won. I am very angry with the goal because we had worked on these types of plays. We did not deserve to lose,” Xavi told a press conference.
Juanmi gives Real Betis a 1-0 lead over Barcelona! https://t.co/NeSyDS53ch
Juanmi gave Manuel Pellegrini's side a victory at Camp Nou by finding the back of the net in the 79th minute. In the process, Betis handed Xavi his first defeat as Barcelona manager.
Xavi had replaced Ronald Koeman as Barcelona's manager last month. After taking the reins at Camp Nou, the Spaniard led the Blaugrana to back-to-back wins in La Liga, against Espanyol and Villarreal. However, Xavi failed to repeat the trick against Real Betis.
Barcelona now have 23 points from 15 La Liga games, and sit seventh in the points table. Table-toppers Real Madrid have 16 points more than them, and eight clear of second-placed Sevilla.
Barcelona and Xavi face huge test against Bayern Munich in Champions League
Xavi is disappointed to have suffered his first defeat as Barcelona manager. However, the former midfielder does not have time to dwell on the loss against Real Betis, as the Blaugrana have a big match at Bayern Munich coming up.
Barcelona will face group winners Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. The trip to Allianz Arena will be a huge test for Xavi and co.
The La Liga giants currently sit second in their Champions League group, with seven points from five matches. Barcelona, though, are yet to seal their place in the Round of 16 of the competition.
Third-placed Benfica, who have five points to their name, will face winless Dynamon Kyiv on Thursday at home. Should the Portuguese outfit win, they will go one point above Barcelona.
Barcelona will have to either win at Bayern Munich or hope Benfica drop points against Dynamo Kyiv to earn qualification to go through to the next round of the competition.