Xavi: Champions League has been “cruel” to Barcelona
Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League group stage for the second year in a row and coach Xavi Hernández says the competition has been “cruel”.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández spoke after their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. They already knew they’d been eliminated from the Champions League before the game even started since Inter Milan beat Viktoria Plzen. They couldn’t seem to get up the gumption necessary to play with spirit after that and now, they drop into the Europa League.
“However you want to say it, a very big disappointment,” said Xavi. “It comes from the Inter match and there in Munich, at home with Inter. This competition, I insist, has been very cruel for us.”
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Despite the loss, Xavi is trying to stay positive and now focus on LaLiga. The fans at Camp Nou stayed late and chanted loud on Wednesday, despite Barca’s exit from the Champions League. Xavi acknowledged as much, thanking them for their support and admitting regret that they couldn’t perform better on the field.
“We have four titles at stake this season. We have lost one of the most important ones, the Champions League,” said Xavi. “We have a long season to go and we have to face it, we have to continue.”