“We didn’t know what to do with the ball” – Xavi makes worrying admission about Barcelona performance in El Clasico win

Xavi was not a happy man after Barcelona's 1-0 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Spaniard claimed his side did not do well on the ball, and only the defense performed well.

Eder Militao's unfortunate own goal was the difference between the two Spanish rivals on Thursday when they met in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. The two sides now need to wait a month before facing each other at Camp Nou for the second leg of the tie.

🎙️ XAVI: "We didn't concede any chances." #ElClásico https://t.co/pAZrcWcy0h

Speaking to the media after the match, Xavi claimed that he was not happy with his team's performance when they had the possession. However, he praised the defense and said:

"We played well without the ball, but not with the ball. We didn't know what to do with the ball. We were extraordinary at the back though, and that should be valued. It's part of the game. I think today we were exceptional and we have to evaluate that positively."

Xavi insisted that he was only pleased with the result of the match, not the performance. He added:

"I'm satisfied with the result, but not with our match. We can't let our rival take the ball away from us."

Barcelona set to be blocked from making signings in the summer

Barcelona were handed a crushing blow by La Liga's president on Thursday when he claimed that the club would not be allowed to sign players in the summer. He added that they would not be permitted to activate more levers as they reached the maximum level last summer.

FC Barcelona | #Radioestadio

🔺@Tebasjavier presidente de @LaLiga

“El @FCBarcelona_es este invierno no ha podido fichar jugadores, no les hemos dejado.. y el verano que viene no podrán fichar jugadores” https://t.co/antSeLjriN

Tebas said at a conference in London:

"We have not let Barca sign players this winter, and next summer they will not be able to sign players. With the famous levers, the club has made levers last summer for 5% of its turnover. But at other clubs, that could be a problem. We have acted and self-regulated quickly. No one can make levers that represent 5% of the turnover."

He added:

"If with Barca, which is a very important club for the League, we look the other way on the economic issue, we would do ourselves a disservice for the competition itself."

Barcelona have been in a war of words with Tebas for some time as they believe he has been too strict with the rules.