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Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez could not hide his disappointment at seeing his team beaten 2-0 by Bayern Munich in the group stages of the Champions League at the Allianz Arena.
The visitors dominated the first half but could not find a way past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and then conceded two goals to Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane after the break.
Xavi told his post-match press conference that he was not at all happy with the result after seeing his team dominate Bayern for long periods, as reported by journalist Albert Roge.
“I’m pissed off. It was a day to win here and we have let them off,” he said. “It is a hard lesson because we leave empty-handed. I am satisfied and proud because we have matched them. We can say that we have been better but this is about winning.”
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Losing Is a Backwards Step
Barcelona’s defeat to Bayern was the team’s first loss of the 2022-23 campaign and Xvi’s first reverse away from home since replacing Ronald Koeman as manager in November 2021.
The coach highlighted his team’s defensive mistakes and also explained why he felt star striker Robert Lewandowski had been so unusually wasteful in front of goal, as reported by UEFA.
“No way should our rival be allowed to score from a failure of marking at a corner when we have the match under control. Or to score down the middle on a counter attack. We must learn from these mistakes,” he said. “It wasn’t Lewandowski’s day. He played with too much emotion and wasn’t as clinical as he usually is. It’s impressive what Barcelona have done in the last year. After the goal, the energy levels dropped. But it wasn’t a clear win for Bayern, the game could have also finished a draw.”
The result leaves Barcelona with three points from their opening two group games. The Catalans now face a double header against Serie A side Inter before facing Bayern again at the Camp Nou.
Pedri Reacts To Defeat
Barcelona midfielder Pedri also felt his team’s failure to find the back of the net had proved key to their defeat on Tuesday. The midfielder hit the post in the second half and felt his team had deserved more.
“This result doesn’t tell the true story. Our first half display merited much more than 0-0 at half time. We had opportunities to go ahead,” he said. “But of course if you fail to put chances away against a big rival like Bayern you’ll end up paying. They went ahead from our marking mistake at the corner. But it’s time to get on with things now – and to remember that we produced a very good first half.”
Barcelona return to La Liga action on Saturday against Elche and will be aiming to get back to winning ways quickly. The Spanish top flight will then pause for an international break.
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