"One of the worst games" - Xavi admits Barcelona faced 'mental issue' in shock defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has opened up on his team's 1-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League yesterday (November 7). The Spaniard admitted that the Blaugrana's poor performance in the encounter was down to a mental issue while stressing the need for a quick reset.
Barcelona blew the chance to book a spot in the Champions League knockout phase yesterday as they fell to a shocking 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk away from home. Despite enjoying a lot of possession, the Blaugrana lacked the idea of what to do and could only manage one shot on target throughout 90 minutes.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Xavi Hernandez admitted that the Catalan giants have just produced their worst performance in the last two years at the Volksparkstadion.
"The Champions League demands the highest level and today we have not shown it, we are leaving angry," Xavi told reporters after the match, as quoted by Goal.
"Intensity? No, today I would blame it on the game, we have not interpreted it correctly. We have to recover and improve. Nothing has gone as planned. It's a clear step backwards. We have played one of the worst games in these two years... And at the most inopportune moment.
The Barcelona manager then proceeded to blame the defeat on a mental issue while urging the team to take a step forward and do a reset.
"We have to do a reset, we don't feel comfortable," he continued. "We are in a bad moment. It's a mental issue. We are blocked, we do things wrong in general. We don't apply pressure well and that takes its toll on us. We have to control the details of the game and make the players feel good on the pitch. We have to take a step forward."
Xavi's Barcelona still hopeful of going through
Despite yesterday's setback, Barcelona are still well-poised to secure their participation in the Champions League knockout stage this season. The Catalan giants remain at the top of Group H with nine points in four games.
Portuguese outfit Porto rank second in the table with just as many points and are only behind the Blaugrana due to inferior head-to-head record. Next comes Shakhtar Donetsk with six points while bottom-placed Royal Antwerp are yet to pick up a point.
Xavi's men will earn straight progress into the next round if they win their remaining two games. They would also qualify if Shakhtar Donetsk fail to win their next two games among other scenarios.