Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has put his weight behind the team after they were facing criticism after their 4-0 loss to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal at Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Blaugrana is currently at the top of the standings with 71 points, 12 points clear of Los Blancos, with an extra game in hand. Barcelona was earlier knocked out of the Champions League and their loss at Copa del Rey raised doubts about winning big titles.
However, the Spanish coach feels his team deserves credit to be in a shoo-in position to win the ongoing LaLiga.
“We are talking about winning LaLiga,” Xavi said in a news conference on Sunday. “I don’t get it. Winning LaLiga is the bee’s knees. We have won five Champions Leagues in our history, which is really good, but it is demanded that we win it?
“Winning LaLiga brings stability. I remember [former Madrid coach Zinedine] Zidane said after winning the Champions League that the objective was to win La Liga. From the inside, we value really highly what we are doing against a really strong Madrid. Winning La Liga is being minimized when for us it will be extraordinary.”
In fact, Barca was struggling at the ninth position in 2021 when Xavi took over the managerial role. Since then the former legendary midfielder has helped Barca to turn the tables.
“We value where we came from and where we are, especially against a great team like Madrid, the LaLiga and Champions League holders,” Xavi added. “I can’t control how it’s viewed from the outside.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid suffered a 3-2 loss against Villarreal on Sunday and thus Barcelona can further strengthen its position at the top of the table. However, Xavi admitted that the job is still not done as there are 11 matches still to go in the season.
“We want to be champions and Monday can be another step towards that,” he said. “It’s a huge chance to go 15 points clear with 30 to play for and we can’t slip up.
“We are having an extraordinary league season. We have already won the Super Cup and we want to end the campaign with two trophies. We competed until the semifinal in the Copa. It’s true we didn’t do well in Europe, but we’re still building.
“We lack maturity at times in the so-called big games, but we are a young team. We are in construction and we will mature and grow on the back of those disappointments.
“The attitude is positive and we’re desperate to win LaLiga. It is not won yet because we still need 16 points. When you win LaLiga you celebrate it, but that’s not the case yet. Monday is another test of how we react [after losing to Madrid] and to get three vital points.”
Barcelona will host Girona on Monday night.
