FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has attempted to explain why he claimed his team is “under construction” following Sunday’s loss to Girona.
At a pre-match press conference Tuesday evening, he also confessed that he would have been fired if he hadn’t won the league last season and revealed the locker room is “angry”.
Xavi was speaking ahead of this week’s Champions League Group H fixture against Royal Antwerp.
Currently topping the pack with one match to spare, Barca has guaranteed qualification to the knockout phase for the first time since 2021.
Things aren’t going as well on a domestic front, however, with the 4-2 loss to Catalan neighbours Girona keeping them top but tossing the Blaugrana down to fourth some seven points off the chase.
Xavi then irked the “entorno” environment that surrounds the club when saying that his team is “under construction” despite him already being in the hotseat for more than two years.
On Tuesday, he was naturally broached on this and took the opportunity to explain his remarks.
“When I say under construction it is because we must improve things,” he said.
“There are new, young players. We are under construction because we have been competing in the Europa League for two years and now we are classified for the Champions League [knockout phase].
“We are under construction, but we have to win. If we had not won the league and Super Cup, I wouldn’t be here anyway.
“I mean that the team must be constant to meet the challenges: La Liga, the Champions League and the Super Cup. I’m not saying that it needs time, but that we are halfway to making a great Barca. And that’s how I feel,” Xavi concluded on this.
Xavi accepted that there will be criticism for the loss but pointed out that the locker room is “angry because we were better than Girona and [because] we deserved to win but we didn’t achieve it”.
“They were our mistakes in both areas. The locker room is angry and eager to react.”
Above all, Xavi believes that Wednesday’s game against Antwerp is important and that he and has staff “have already done our homework in this competition”.
With a win or a draw in Belgium, Barca will clinch Group H and guarantee they face a second place opponent in the last 16.
