Xavi talks Dembele, referee after Sevilla stalemate

Barcelona played out a 1-1 draw against second-placed Sevilla on Tuesday night in their final La Liga game of 2021.

Having fallen behind around the half-hour mark courtesy of an Alejandro Gomez strike, Barcelona were able to level things up before half-time through Ronald Araujo.

The Catalans had chances to kill off the game after the break but could not take them, even after playing with a numerical advantage for close to thirty minutes after Sevilla had Jules Kounde sent off. Ousmane Dembele came the closest to finding the winner when he hit the woodwork.

Speaking after the game, manager Xavi Hernandez claimed that he was happy with how the team played but not satisfied with the outcome.

“We deserved to win tonight. We have played how we want to play; with personality, pressure and a high tempo. This is a difficult field, but we have competed very well. The single point is not good for us, the worst thing is the result. They anticipated our error, and there are things to improve,” he said.

“It’s going to be hard for me to sleep. I am dissatisfied with the result, but the play comes close to the Barça that I want; brave and attacking, just like I have experienced and seen it has given us successes,” the 41-year-old added.

Xavi also added that the team needed to be braver and go for goal, when inside the box, while also lamenting over some of the decision-making.

“When we get an opportunity in the opponent’s area, we should not think, we have to shoot. We do not lack a goal; in phases we lack maturity and understanding of the game, sometimes we choose badly,” the former Spanish international said.

Xavi also spoke about the performance of the wingers, Ousmane Dembele and Ez Abde, saying: “Dembélé has been very good. It cost Abde a little more today. If Dembélé’s shot was a goal, we would be talking about a phenomenal game.”

The manager also added that he felt the team was headed on the right track even though Tuesday’s result did not go their way. “We’re progressing a lot in many aspects of football. The image left by the team today was excellent. I am sure that we are on the right path,” he said.

The Barcelona players were subjected to a number of strong tackles by Sevilla on the night while the refereeing was hardly consistent over the course of the ninety minutes. Speaking about the number of fouls, he said: “Sevilla are an experienced team, they are very good tactically. They know when to pause the game with fouls.”

About the referee, Xavi added: “To be honest… these refs. I can’t speak. I won’t say anything. I don’t win anything by speaking about the referee. Why don’t you ask him? The referees should have a press conference by themselves.”

Barcelona remain seventh in the La Liga table but have moved to within two points of fourth-placed Rayo Vallecano.

Source: BarcaTV+