Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has claimed that he would happily win by one in both the Spanish Supercup semi-final and the final, when presented with the statistic that the Blaugrana have gone 20 matches without winning a game by more than one goal. Criticism for the Barcelona coach is on the rise, and with a short knockout competition, many are presenting it as a potential turning point, for better or for worse.
His message was that his side continue to make life easy for the opposition with untimely errors, as was seen during their Copa del Rey match with Barbastro on Sunday.
“We have to stop gifting things to the opposition, we have had specific errors that complicate our games, but I think we are recovering the play. I think that we are improving. In a knockout competition we cannot repeat those mistakes because it would penalise us.”
Before Xavi spoke to the press, Ronald Araujo had explained he felt their issues were a lack of effectiveness in both areas, but the Barcelona coach said it was their own penalty box that was causing them the most issues.
“Both of them. It’s true that in certain moments we have been effective in the area, but the one that worries me most is our area. Giving away easy things defensively is penalising us more than the lack of effectiveness in attack, we need that solid base to make us feel secure.”
He was also asked how the players were reacting to him, after his hairdryer treatment against Almeria before Christmas.
“The reaction of the players is very positive, they see that if they don’t give 100%, we won’t get there. The feeling of family doesn’t change and I think they see me as a convinced coach, who relieves pressure on them.”
The press have become far more scathing in their criticism for Xavi over recent months, and he was also queried over what he felt he had impoved for the better.
“I think I’ve changed a lot of things for the positive. The expectations in the environment are enormous, they lead you to seek excellence, we need to find continuity with respect to that Super Cup two years ago. The excellence we seek will make us win titles. But I think we’re playing much better than we were when I arrived, more positional play, and bit by bit, we’re getting better.”
For many Barcelona fans, the most frustrating part about Barcelona has been the fact they seem to be drifting through weeks without much improvement or reaction. Xavi is clearly feeling the pressure, and thus far has been unable to find the formula halfway through the season.
