Xavi reacts following Getafe 0-0 Barcelona: “Dry grass, but it’s not an excuse”

Barcelona locked horns against Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez for gameweek 29th of La Liga. They were winless in their last two games, losing 0-4 against Real Madrid and drawing 0-0 against Girona.

Despite their ten point lead on top of the table, the pressure was mounting on Xavi, who was going to face a tough path to the title with games against Atletico Madrid, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Betis up next.

Unfortunately, Barcelona could not break the deadlock against the Madrid outfit tonight, and had to settle for a 0-0 draw. While that has increased the lead at the top of the table to 11 points, there is little to no chance anyone within the squad was happy with the performance or result.

Speaking following the game, Xavi called out Getafe for their pitch setup, keeping the grass very long and dry.

“Yesterday we tried training on a dry pitch in Barcelona. Tha grass really hurts us. It’s bad, not only for us, but also for Getafe. Look at Munir, who could not even shoot the ball,” he said.

“I have always been criticised a lot for this, but the pitch was not in good condition. The grass, it was very dry, but it’s not an excuse. We were not good.”

“The pitch really slowed down the game, those who have not played football cannot understand it, even Getafe were affected by it.”

Lost rhythm, injured key players

Barcelona were in impressive form going into the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Real Madrid, only to lose the game 0-4 at the Camp Nou. They have not scored any goals since the 0-4 win against Elche.

“The draw is not bad at all, but we have to recover our confidence,” Xavi said.

“We are not in our best form of the season, neither in terms of performances or results, that’s obvious. Today, we were very poor,” he added.

“There is no lack of ambition. Believe me, it’s not for a lack of enthusiasm, ambition, or desire.”

While Barcelona have evidently lost their run of form, a few players stay on top of their form, including Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Alejandro Balde, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen. This does not, unfortunately, apply to Robert Lewandowski, who has scored two goals in his last nine games across all competitions.

Xavi came to his defence, saying, “Lewandowski is still the top scorer of La Liga. It’s a matter of streaks. I’m positive and I see that he continues to do a lot. The goals will come. For Robert, and for the team.”

Xavi also commented on the several players missing from their squad, including Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Andreas Christensen, and Frenkie de Jong, saying, “We want to get our injured players back. I hope we can get two or three players back next week. Injuries must be minimised.”

The Raphinha substitution saga

Raphinha does not like being substituted off, which has been made clear a fair few times this season with his angry reaction after returning to the bench.

Xavi has, in the past, told the media, he does not like it, and reiterated the same today after Raphinha furiously slapped the bench roof after coming off for Pablo Torre.

“I have not spoken to Raphinha, I have said many times that it’s good to get angry. I don’t see any problems wit a lack of attitude or ambition.”

Source: BarçaTV+