Xavi’s post-match press conference after Barcelona’s Antwerp loss in the Champions League

Barcelona tripped again and stumbled over the line, grazing their knees and hands on the gravel as the FINISH ribbon caught around their feet. Xavi Hernández’s side topped Champions League Group H with Porto coming second on goal difference, but the doubts around the project – which Xavi said was still “under construction” after the LaLiga loss to Girona – remain in focus and were reignited as George Ilenikena burst through the defence to pass underneath Iñaki Peña with seconds to go in Antwerp.

It had fallen to Marc Guiu, the youth team player who scored the winner on his Barça debut against Athletic Club, to grab what Barça thought would be the goal to give them a point on 90 minutes. But it was not to be, as another defensive lapse saw they left Belgium empty-handed and without excuses.

“I’m worried, the team isn’t comfortable”, was Xavi’s immediate assessment of the disaster defeat before forgetting to stop, “we’re on a bad run of results, we have to improve. The opposition are generating a lot of chances against us. We have to be critical. The objective has still been achieved, now we know we are top of the group. Saying that, we have to improve and above all know we’re on a bad run, but we keep going.” The next question, on the performance of the team, eventually cut him off.

‘We weren’t good, the feelings are not good’

“We could’ve done better. We weren’t good”, his teeth clattered back, “the feelings are not good and at the end we’ve had a shocker. We have to move on, which is the most important thing.”

In an attempt to look on the not-so-dark side of things after losing to the team currently placed 4th in the Belgian Pro League, Xavi said that the Champions League “is tough for everyone”, and that his side “won against the strongest team in the group, Porto, at their stadium, and it’s tough away from home.”

Who is going to tell him that was a 0-1 win which Porto dominated – that took place in October? “We’ve had two tough years at the club, but now we’re in the Round of 16, which was the main objective in this competition. We have get the football back and I think we will”, he manifested.

‘If we want to achieve things this season, we have to improve’

When asked about the individual errors throughout the side, in the knowledge that Oriol Romeu and Balde’s mistakes cost the side two goals, Xavi admitted that Barça “weren’t good today” before saying he he doesn’t “like saying anything bad about the players in public. They’re better than what they’re showing. Individual errors are costing us goals and it’s a question of confidence.”

“The pressure of playing for Barça weighs heavily”, he said, before turning from counsellor back to threatening school teacher and reminding everyone that, “we have to improve, if we want to achieve things this season, we have to improve. We generated an unnecessary tension in the game today.” And back to counsellor: “It’s a day to be happy. I’ll try to speak to the players to get their confidence back.”

After mentioning that sense of tension, Xavi was asked about the reason behind it, saying that “we didn’t start well. There was tension with the team selection”. Ahead of the game, Deco, when asked about why Robert Lewandowski was included in the side, despite Barcelona already through, said that it was not agreed upon.

This message from the Portuguese Sporting Director flew in the face of Xavi, who said it was. “We spoke to the players, who want to be on the pitch. We spoke to Deco and the president and we changed the list, that’s it.”

He continued: “But I insist, the defeat is not painful today. Things are spoken about that have nothing to do with what’s wrong, which is the play. We have to improve a lot to win titles this year.” Sometimes analysing Xavi’s comments is like trying to catch 50 falling plates while standing on a Womble, or trying to guess what policy Rishi Sunak is going to cancel tomorrow: it’s pinball-esque, uncoordinated madness.

‘On Saturday we have a final, I’m positive’

“Inside the dressing room there are no bad feelings, it all comes from outside”. Ouch. Xavi was asked where the contradictory messages from Deco and himself leave him as manager, who which he said that “the squad decision was consensual. Robert [Lewandowski] tells me he wants to play and [Ilkay] Gundogan tells me he wants to help the team. We decide within the club. It’s a group thing. It’s not that I look bad and the president looks good. There is no problem inside. The problem is the bad feeling. The defeat that hurts us is the one against Girona, not today’s. On Saturday (against Valencia, Saturday, December 16 KO 3 p.m. ET / noon PT.), we have a final. I feel good, I’m positive.”