Barcelona manager Xavi has blamed Getafe’s dry pitch for Barcelona’s second consecutive goalless draw in La Liga. Barcelona were held to another 0-0 draw on Sunday, the second consecutive week they will be dropping points in La Liga.
Last weekend, the Blaugrana were also held to a goalless draw by Girona at Camp Nou, taking them on a three-game winless run since losing 4-0 to Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey semi-final second-leg fixture.
However, the two draws have done little damage to their title challenge, as they are 11 points above Real Madrid with nine games left in the season.
Speaking after a goalless draw that saw Barcelona without scoring a goal in three consecutive games in all competitions, even with the presence of Robert Lewandowski on the pitch, Xavi lamented the state of the pitch.
“The state of the pitch hurt us. Yesterday, we trained with the dry field. It was very difficult to play on that, and it’s bad for the show. The ball gets stuck; it’s bad even for Getafe. It is essential that it is in good condition. It’s no excuse, and we now have to recover.” Xavi said.
He also confirmed that midfielder Sergi Roberto noticed something in the hamstring and that the club will assess it on Monday to determine if the Injury will be a long-term or short layoff.
In other results on Sunday, Girona beat Elche 2-0, while Antoine Griezmann scored a brace as Atletico Madrid beat Almeria 2-1. Valencia continued their poor run of form as they lost at home 2-0 to Sevilla.
On Saturday, Real Madrid got back to winning ways as Nacho Fernandez and Marco Asensio scored two second-half goals in a 2-0 win away at Cadiz. On Monday, Celta Vigo will host Real Mallorca.
Daniel Ademiju Idowu
