Barcelona coach Xavi is disappointed by the elimination in the Europa League. His team lost 2-1 to Manchester United on Thursday evening, after the two teams had drawn 2-2 in the first game. United thus qualified for the eighth finals of the Europa League at the expense of Barcelona.
“It’s a very big disappointment for us,” said Xavi. “It’s a knockout phase, it’s Europe: these kinds of games are decided by small details. In the end we couldn’t control it. United were very intense in the second half. They are in very good shape at the moment and are very good at home It’s the details that made the difference. If Pedri or Gavi had been there today, things might have turned out differently in the second half.”
Last season FC Barcelona was eliminated in the quarter finals of the Europa League. “I do believe that this season we were better than the last. We played against top clubs like Bayern Munich, Inter (in the Champions League) and now Manchester United. We just couldn’t reach their level,” said Xavi.
Barcelona is currently number one in the Spanish league La Liga. “We now have to focus mainly on the games to come. What remains for us now is to be humble. We have to evaluate how we can perform better next season at the highest level in Europe. We have to learn from our mistakes and improve.”
Source: ANP
