Barcelona manager Xavi issued an apology to the team’s fans after their lopsided defeat to Real Madrid on Sunday, which resulted in his side losing the Spanish Super Cup.
Real Madrid won 4-1 in the final of the tournament after taking a 2-0 lead just 10 minutes in. Vinicius Junior scored a first-half hat trick, while Robert Lewandowski scored Barcelona’s lone goal of the game in the 33rd minute. Matters got worse for Barcelona in the 72nd minute when Ronald Araujo was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
“All we can do right now is accept the criticism and apologize to the fans,” Xavi said following the defeat. “We didn’t show up as a team playing in a final, much less against Real Madrid. I’m the most responsible.”
He also unofficially gave himself a vote of confidence despite mounting criticism on Barcelona’s performances this season. They currently sit in fourth place in La Liga and are nine points behind league leaders Girona during a season that has been marred by narrow victories, inconsistent results and some notable defeats. Two results that stand out in the latter category are their 1-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in Champions League play on Nov. 7 and their 4-2 defat by Girona on Dec. 10, but Sunday’s result is a new low this season.
“I keep trusting the project and I keep trusting myself,” he said. “We will keep going.”
Xavi, who received a vote of confidence from club director Deco, also expressed belief in his team’s ability to respond.
“All I can do is accept the criticism and keep working,” Xavi added. “There’s nothing else we can do. It’s a hard defeat but we’ve responded many times from tough moments and I’m still convinced that we’ll return [to] compete at the highest level.”
Barcelona have the chance to rebound on Thursday, when they face second-division side Unionistas in Copa del Rey action before resuming to La Liga play against Real Betis on Sunday.
