Xavi Hernandez has conceded that he is the ‘main one responsible’ for Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League exit.
La Blaugrana were eliminated from Europe’s top competition in the group stages for the second consecutive season, despite investing heavily in the squad this summer.
Their exit was confirmed by Inter’s 4-0 win over Vitkoria Plzen prior to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich – the group’s table-toppers – later on Wednesday evening.
Speaking after the game to the press, Barça head coach Xavi admitted that he was to blame for the club’s failures in the Champions League: “I am the main one responsible for the elimination.
“The truth is that this year, unlike the last, I felt like we had the squad to win this tournament. What happened is unacceptable.
“In Munich, we were better than Bayern and we didn’t take advantage of that. I was affected after the match in Milan. The refereeing decisions were unfair and so was the result.”
Xavi also discussed the game itself at Camp Nou, saying that it was the first time this season where Barcelona didn’t compete with their opposition: “Barça didn’t compete today, we didn’t reach Bayern’s level. Bayern were better today, they played more intensely and aggressively.
“The truth is that knowing that we had already been eliminated from the Champions League before the game against Bayern has affected us a lot. For the first time this season, I felt like we didn’t compete at all. They overtook us completely. We’re out because our mistakes, nothing else.”
