Xavi "Angry" As Barcelona Look Destined For Another Champions League Failure

Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez was "angry" and "self-critical" after watching his side stumble to the verge of another Champions League failure.
Xavi "Angry" As Barcelona Look Destined For Another Champions League Failure
Xavi "Angry" As Barcelona Look Destined For Another Champions League Failure /

Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez was "angry" and "self-critical" after watching his side stumble to the verge of another Champions League failure.

Barca needed to beat Inter Milan at the Camp Nou on Wednesday to keep their Group C destiny in their own hands.

Ousmane Dembele fired Barca ahead on 40 minutes but Inter turned the game around in the second half and twice led before two Robert Lewandowski equalizers saw the game end 3-3.

The result left Barca with four points from four games. Xavi's side will be eliminated on October 26 if Inter beat Viktoria Plzen at home.

Barca failed to progress from the Champions League group stage last season when they finished third behind Bayern Munich and Benfica.

Xavi was only in charge of Barca's final two group games last season, after replacing Ronald Koeman in November 2021, so he was perhaps not entirely to blame for that poor campaign.

But he is refusing to blame anyone except himself and his players for Barca's latest European flop.

Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez pictured looking frustrated during his side's 3-3 draw with Inter Milan in October 2022
Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez pictured looking frustrated during his side's 3-3 draw with Inter Milan :: IMAGO/Pressinphoto/Colas Buera

"If you don't beat Inter at home, you don't deserve to stay in this competition," fumed Xavi, as quoted by GOAL.

"Last season we didn't have enough to compete, but this season we did. This time it was our mistakes."

Xavi added: "I'm very disappointed, sad, frustrated... I'm angry. I have to be self-critical, we don't deserve to play in the Champions League. It hurts me, but it's the truth."


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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.