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Xavi BLASTS Barcelona squad after El Clasico mauling and tells players to ‘remember where we came from’.
Xavi criticized his Barcelona players for lacking maturity after they were defeated 4-0 by Real Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday.
Real Madrid overcame a 1-0 first-leg deficit thanks to a Vinicius Jr. goal and a hat-trick from Karim Benzema in the second half to eliminate Barcelona from the current Copa del Rey. The Blaugranas were aiming for four consecutive Clasico victories but were humbled in their own home, prompting Xavi to lament the squad’s lack of maturity.
“We are not mature enough. We have so many young players and they have to learn how to compete better,” he told reporters after the defeat. “When you don’t kill Real Madrid, Real Madrid kill you. We didn’t score at least one goal. They were better than us, and this is football.”
Despite the loss, Xavi insisted that his side has progressed from last season as they have already won the Spanish Super Cup and are champions elect in La Liga, boasting a 12-point lead over nearest rivals Real Madrid.
“Let’s remember where we came from,” he added. “When I arrived, we did not compete for anything. A year later, we could win La Liga and we have won the Super Cup. To me, that is good progress.”
Xavi will now turn his attention to La Liga, where they have a Monday home game against Girona.