After two good matches against Porto and Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona were unable to sustain their winning run as they fell to a high-flying Girona team last night. Michel’s men scored four goals past Inaki Pena, and while Lewandowski and Gundogan also scored for Barcelona, their efforts were not enough to get the Catalans any points.
This loss warrants an introspection from the Blaugranes, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, the head coach, Xavi Hernandez, has already analysed what went wrong after the match and also criticised himself as well as his team.
Barcelona were going into the match with the hopes of reducing the gap to the top of the table by beating Girona. They were unable to do so, but Xavi still believed the team was heading in the right direction:
“It’s a tough blow because today we had high hopes of narrowing the gap to one point from Girona and two from Madrid. Now we’re seven points behind Girona and five behind Madrid, tied with Atlético, although they have a game in hand. This is our reality.”
“This is a Barcelona in the making. I remain positive, I trust the team, but we have an extraordinary rival and today luck wasn’t on our side, but it could have gone differently. We must stay on this path and not doubt ourselves.”
Xavi took hope from the last league triumph when Barcelona also suffered but ended up as the champions at the end of the season:
“Today wasn’t a bad game, but it’s a hard hit for us. We have to keep working; there’s no other way. Last year, we faced a setback, but in the end, we won two titles.”
The Barcelona head coach believed the match was relatively even, but the finer details went in favor of Girona, who ultimately came up as the winner:
“The match was evenly balanced and decided by small details. If Barcelona had won today, we’d also say it would have been fair; I think we had 31 attempts. We lacked efficiency, and perhaps defensive errors cost us. Even at the end, in desperation, we had a chance for 3-3. Their approach is similar to what we aim for.”
“It was a knockout game. The one who landed the first punch… With the score at 1-3, they almost sealed the match. We performed well in our gameplay, but we were a bit dull in our effectiveness, and that made the difference in the game.”
Girona have been the surprise team this season, as they are competing with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid for the league title. Xavi was full of praise for the other Catalan club after the match:
“Girona deserves a lot of credit for what they’re achieving. They’re leading the standings and have a seven-point advantage over us. Very well deserved. I believe the work both Míchel and the Girona players are doing is spectacular. Congratulations to them.”
