Xavi’s ‘pragmatic’ message to Barcelona president after Man United defeat – report

Barcelona suffered more heartbreak in Europe last night as they were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League at the knockout playoff stage by Manchester United.

The two giants of European football battled in a Champions League-calibre tie over two legs, with the Red Devils ultimately coming out on top with a 4-3 aggregate scoreline.

It meant that Xavi has now suffered four eliminations from European competitions in a little over a year since he took over the reins of the club.

Naturally, there is bound to be disappointment after such a result, and according to Javi Miguel of AS, Xavi and Barcelona president Joan Laporta had an impromptu meeting on the flight back to Catalonia from Manchester after the loss on Thursday night.

During the chat with the club supremo, Xavi is believed to have conveyed a positive message layered in some pragmatism.

The report states that the manager stressed on the fact that the team had battled against a top team and put up a great fight over two legs, as he did in his post-match press conference.

At the same time, however, the 43-year-old is understood to have told Laporta that all the pieces are not in place for Barça to be among the elite as of yet.

“Now I do have the feeling that we have competed, that we are already very close… Right now, the squad does not reach the level to win it all.”

Xavi touched upon the fact that Barcelona do not have a natural right-back on their roster while they also are without a natural backup for Sergio Busquets and Robert Lewandowski.

Laporta himself has acknowledged in the past that they are in the process of building a team.

While the exit from Europe will have hurt, Barcelona still have a great chance to add two more trophies to their cabinet.

They are eight points clear of Real Madrid in the La Liga title race, a trophy that is the top priority for the club, as Laporta has insisted constantly. The Catalans are also in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.