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Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent
Xavi Hernández expresses concern as Barcelona faces a tough challenge following a shock 1-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League in Hamburg on Tuesday. Danylo Sikan scored the solitary goal just before half-time, dealing a blow to Barcelona’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stages of the competition.
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Despite a strong possession game, Barcelona struggled to find the net, with only one shot on target even after adding Pedri, Lamine Yamal, and João Félix in the second half.
“We deserved to lose,” admitted the Barcelona coach during the post-game news conference. “We have to be honest. We played badly and nothing went according to plan. The level of our performances is really low at the moment. This was one of the worst games of my two years in charge. We have to be self-critical.”
“There was a reaction in the second half but it wasn’t enough. This competition demands your best, and we were not at it today. It is clear a step back. We are angry. Confidence has dropped, we are in a bit of a rut and we need a reset.”
Barcelona clinched a 1-0 victory against Real Sociedad in LaLiga, but Xavi criticized the display against the Basque side and the intensity shown by his players.
Against Shakhtar, who have moved to Hamburg for European games due to the war in Ukraine, the Barcelona coach was more disappointed with the manner of the performance.
“I wouldn’t say it was an intensity problem this time,” he added. “We didn’t understand what the game needed. We lost a lot of balls, we didn’t attack well, we didn’t deal with crosses well and we paid for our mistakes.”
Despite the setback, Barcelona remains on top of Group G with nine points from four games, level with FC Porto, while Shakhtar has six points, and Royal Antwerp remains pointless.
“It’s a shame because we wanted to secure our place in the last 16,” said Xavi. “We still have qualification in our own hands, though, and that’s the big positive. We have to restore the confidence. We’re having a small dip right now. Not so long ago, we were playing very good football — it’s a mental issue.”
Barcelona defender João Cancelo urged the team to show a reaction on Sunday when they host Alaves in LaLiga, where they are currently third, four points behind surprise leaders Girona and two off Real Madrid.
“We have played really badly in the last two games,” Cancelo said. “Against Real Sociedad, we didn’t deserve to win and today we didn’t play well enough to get the points. Now we have a game this weekend to come back with a better mentality before the international break.”
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