Xavi Hernandez expressed his disappointment after Barcelona’s 4-3 Copa del Rey win over Intercity on Wednesday. The Blaugrana lost their lead three times before sealing qualification for the next round in extra time.
Their poor performance against Intercity came just days after they failed to beat local rivals Espanyol, drawing 1-1 in the derby at the Camp Nou on Saturday last week.
“This situation worries me”, said Xaxi after Wednesday’s duel.
They played well in the first half.
Barcelona looked dominant before the half-time break and did not allow their opponents to create a single clear-cut chance as they dictated the tempo and circulated the ball well.
However, they missed several golden chances to score and failed to finish the match before regular time.
“Espanyol was a warning, now the second has come”, added Xavi.
Another team after the break.
After Ronald Araujo was replaced, the Blaugranas turned into a different team, struggling defensively against a team that features in the same division as Barcelona’s B team.
Barcelona had to make an extra effort to come back, with Xavi changing all his forwards.
Atletico Madrid is next
Barcelona are aware that they need to improve in their bid to fight for the La Liga trophy. On Sunday, they will face Atletico Madrid in a derby match that will take place at Civitas Metropolitano.
The good news for Xavi is that Araujo is back in action after recovering from injury, while summer signing Pablo Torre also offered some glimpses of his talent.
Ansu Fati got his name on the scoresheet to seal qualification for the Blaugrana. This is big news for Xavi, who will be without striker Robert Lewandowski for the next three games.