It was a very frustrating evening for Barcelona in Hamburg on Tuesday as they fell to defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk. A win would have secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages, but in the end, it was not to be.
In truth, it was a poor performance from Barcelona, who failed to particularly trouble the Shakhtar defence. They had just one shot on target all game, that coming from a Gavi header in the second half.
Understandably so, head coach Xavi Hernandez was furious when he spoke to the media post-match. He admitted that his side are not in a good way at the moment, and things needs to change before they can move forward.
“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.
“We are in a bad moment. It’s a mental issue. We are blocked. We did things wrong in general. We didn’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.”
Barcelona will look to bounce back when they host Alaves in La Liga on Sunday, with their next match in the Champions League against Porto taking place at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in three weeks.