Xavi was unsure about how to motivate Barcelona superstar for the Europa League

Barcelona suffered their second elimination from European competitions this season last week when they were booted out of the UEFA Europa League by Manchester United.

The Blaugrana had been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the group stages once again this term, but a third-place finish in their group earned them a spot in the knockout playoffs of the Europa League.

However, Xavi’s men were handed a tough draw in the form of Manchester United. The first leg at Spotify Camp Nou was an entertaining affair as the two teams played out a 2-2 draw.

Barcelona took the lead in the second leg at Old Trafford, but a dismal second-half showing allowed Manchester United to secure a comeback 2-1 win and eliminate them from the competition.

Xavi & co. had always maintained that their aim was to go all the way in the tournament, but some new information has come to light that might cast aspersions on the motivation levels within the camp when it came to the Europa League.

According to Joan Fontes, Xavi, in a conversation with former Barcelona teammate Pepe Reina, was doubting how he could motivate players like Robert Lewandowski to win the Europa League.

The conversation is understood to have taken place right after Barcelona’s La Liga clash against Villarreal, just before the first-leg tie versus Manchester United.

Reina is believed to have asked Xavi about the Europa League, to which the manager allegedly responded by saying something along the lines of: “How can I motivate Lewandowski to win that title?”

The revelation, if true, is certainly very interesting and is bound to raise some eyebrows.

Lewandowski, for his part, has not been in the best of form since the World Cup break. While he did score in the second leg against United, the 34-year-old was largely quiet over the two legs.

Having failed to progress in Europe, Barcelona will now focus on getting their hands on the La Liga title and Copa del Rey.