Xavi expressed anger after Barcelona slumped to a limp 3-goal defeat against Bayern Munich and admitted that the 2nd tier Europa League could now become a reality for the club. The Catalan giants under their new boss have failed to reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League for the 1st time since the 2003-04 campaign.
Their 3-0 defeat against Bayern Munich sealed their fate in the competition. Jamal Musiala, Thomas Müller, and Leroy Sané were the scorers for the German giants.
Benfica was the other team that made it through to the next round in the group when they beat Dynamo Kyiv in Lisbon.
The Catalan club has won the championship 5 times. Xavi came in place of Ronald Koeman at the helm of Barcelona in November. He acknowledged that the elimination from the UCL would be a harsh reminder of the tough task ahead.
The famous midfielder admitted that the German side dominated Barcelona. It is a playing style favored by the Catalan team but to their despair was employed effectively by the Bayern team.
Xavi Says That Barcelona Has To Start From Zero
He said that Barcelona has to face up to the harsh reality and tackle it head-on. Xavi said that the elimination from the UCL effectively indicated that an era has ended. Barcelona has to start from scratch again. The team’s main remains the Champions League, not the Europa. But at present, they will have to be satisfied with the present situation.
Xavi came in as the coach for Barcelona and has since won two and drew one match. The defeat against Bayern comes after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Real Betis at the La Liga. The loss has left Barcelona languishing at 7th place in the league
Bayern’s midfielder, Muller, said that the present team is finding it difficult to cope with the intensity of top-flight football though they had the technical and tactical skills.
