After suffering a setback in the Champions League this past week against Shakhtar Donetsk, Barcelona got back on track with a victory over Alaves on Sunday, eking out a 2-1 victory despite it being a close game.

During his post-match comments, Xavi Hernandez discussed the spirit of the club as well as the hard patch that the team is now going through. He went on to discuss a variety of other things, one of which being the performance of Robert Lewandowski.

Xavi started off by recognizing the difficulties the club was having with its positioning, saying, “Positionally we weren’t bad, but we suffered a lot with lost possessions and transitions, especially with Samu.”

Xavi praised the squad’s mentality despite the difficulties, saying, “We are not in our best moment, but we showed our attitude to win a match that was going badly for us.” Despite the difficulties, the team was successful in winning the match.

The coach did not avoid criticizing defensive shortcomings, saying, “I think we handed away the first goal with a mistake by Gundogan. Then, immediately after that, we came close to allowing another goal to be scored against us. It was an unattractive contest.”

This season, Barcelona’s defense has not been as strong as it was in the previous year, and the team has given up goals at an alarmingly high rate. This season, we’ve been conceding goals at a ridiculously high rate that can’t be tolerated. Xavi stated that the team’s defensive lapses are the reason why they have fewer points than they had the previous season. “That did not happen last season,” Xavi said in reference to the team’s defensive lapses.

Within the first 18 seconds of the game, we gave up a goal. It is not acceptable, and he went on to say that we need to make a shift in the dynamic.

Despite this, the Spaniard was effusive in his admiration for Ronald Araujo, stating that “Araujo is the best individual defensive player we have.”

Another player who stood out for Barcelona that evening was Robert Lewandowski, who contributed to the team’s victory with a pair of goals that helped them take all three points.

Xavi made the following statement in order to emphasize the dependability of the star striker Robert Lewandowski: “Lewandowski is always there for us. We are crossing in order to get around a particularly strong defense. One of our strikers is considered to be among the very best in the entire world.

When Xavi looked ahead, he acknowledged the importance of taking a break, saying, “The international break will be beneficial for us to reconnect, think things through, and improve.” It is abundantly evident to me that we shall advance. The team demonstrated that we are capable of playing at a high level today.”

Xavi provided some strategic views about the game and added that the team played well for approximately 35 minutes during the second half of the match. We had a system in place. During the halftime break, I urged the players to take a deep breath and relax. I believe that we had a strong performance during the opening thirty minutes of the second half.

“From the moment the ball was kicked off, we intended to play vertically, with Ronald playing in the top position. We did not want to begin the game in the defensive position. He went on to say that normally Gundo would not have lost possession in such a manner.

“I told the players that they needed to calm down because they were all very tense,” she said. “I told them they were all very tense.” This is as a result of everything that is occurring in and around the club at the moment. The key to winning this match was proper positioning and maintaining order. We needed to slow down and make sure that we connected with our teammates at the appropriate moment. That took us close to a half an hour to complete,” he went on to say.

Xavi is quoted as saying, “We’re in a very sad state, the most difficult part of the season.” Similar to what happened in Anoeta, the match was turning into a bloodbath.”

In response to a question concerning the impact of external forces, Xavi stated, “When I talk about Barca’s entourage, I don’t mean the fans; I mean the press.” The criticism that comes from them has an effect on the football players, and it shows in their performance.

“The criticism has no effect on me; however, it does have an effect on the players.” I can tell from the looks on their faces. But now I’m the manager of Barcelona, and many used to say I was the club’s cancer,” he said.

Xavi did not pull any punches when he continued by saying, “I have zero doubts that the criticism from the press is affecting the team.” It occurred to me while I was playing, and I am able to comprehend it now. There is a significant amount of unfavorable energy surrounding the team, and it is having a detrimental effect on us.

The coach of Barcelona did not try to hide his admiration for the team they were playing, though. He said, “We had spoken about Alavés being very good with counter-attacks,” and that was what we had talked about previously.

Before leaving for the impending international break, Xavi expressed his satisfaction with the game’s outcome and his contentment with having secured all three points.

“I have a really favorable impression of the pairing. The game got off to a terrible start for us, as we let in an unjustifiable goal. Following that, we were in a position to win the match because we had chances, we were organized, and we were able to do so.

Before a month has passed, there was no indication that the squad was experiencing any kind of mental strain. The instructor went on to say that we needed to alter our dynamic. “Today, I didn’t come down hard enough on the players. I believe that affection, rather than wrath, is what they required.”

It is very evident that Xavi Hernandez is well aware of the criticism that is currently being directed in the direction of Barcelona. However, the coach is optimistic that they will be able to bring out the best in their players.

“You’re absolutely right. We couldn’t have picked a worse time. But despite everything, we were able to pull off a victory, and I think that deserves a lot of credit,” he remarked. The critical comments and the general atmosphere around the team are having an effect on my players. Most importantly, the younger generations. Veterans such as Lewandowski and Iigo, who have played for a long time, are not particularly bothered by it.

“I never concentrate on the unfavorable aspects of situations. I can only look for potential solutions to the issues we’re having. ways to ensure that our participants are able to have a good time while they are competing. Xavi continued, “I can tell that they are not enjoying themselves at this moment.”

In conclusion, Xavi emphasized how essential it is to have the appropriate mentality, particularly when it comes to competing at the greatest level.

“We need to demand more from the football players in order for them to give their best version.” According to Xavi’s analysis, “they have been able to get the courage necessary to win when things were not going well and that is also very important.”