Barcelona have failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time in 21 years. Xavi’s team went to visit Bayern Munich 3-0 on Wednesday evening and saw direct competitor Benfica beat Dynamo Kiev 2-0. What remains is the Europa League. Xavi has set the goal to win this one, he said after the game in Munich.
“Our opponent was better, superior. It makes no sense to deny that,” said Xavi. Barcelona, which had no chance of visiting Bayern, received two knocks on the stroke of half-time. Thomas Müller scored with his head on a pass from Robert Lewandowski and Leroy Sané saw a sustainable ball end up in the goal behind goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen. The final score was determined after an hour of play by Jamal Musiala, who scored from close range on a pass from Alphonso Davies. Xavi: “3-0 is a fair result. Bayern was much better, superior. We tried to put a lot of pressure, but we were attacked. That is also the harsh reality.”
The defeat has left Barcelona eliminated from the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in 21 years. The Catalans will still play in the Europa League after the winter break. “I have told the players that this is the day of new beginnings,” said Xavi. “We want to build a very strong team again. Soon we want to play again at a level where we belong and that is not the Europa League, which we have to play in now. We want more. Winning the Europa League is now the goal. As frustrating as it is, but more is not possible now. From now on we have to start over. We want a better Barcelona. I am responsible for that.”
“This elimination hurts a lot. It hurts our pride,” adds Sergio Busquets to his trainer. The defensive midfielder played his 650th game in the Barcelona shirt on Wednesday, joining Lionel Messi (778), Xavi (767) and Andrés Iniesta (674), who also reached that milestone. “We have ended up in a mess. But other top clubs have also experienced situations like this not very long ago. Barcelona is a great club when it goes well, but now we have to deal with the necessary problems: financial problems, manager changes. We do a step backwards, but we also have to be there for each other in bad times.”