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Last night was a moment of triumph for Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez as he guided the team to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2020, after they beat Napoli 3-1 (4-2 agg.).
With the first leg of the Round of 16 ending in a 1-1 draw in Italy, everything was on the line in Montjuic on Tuesday. But Barcelona rose to the occasion as goals from Fermin Lopez, Joao Cancelo, and Robert Lewandowski clinched a hugely important victory.
Who’s the buffoon now?
Manager Xavi Hernandez was in a jubilant mood after the game in his press interactions. The Barça head coach lashed out at some media sections that had doubted Barcelona and even had gone as far as calling the team the ‘Champions League buffoons’.
“I told the players to stay calm, nobody was going to die today. The press were saying we were the buffoons in the Champions League, unfair criticism from journalists. Was that necessary? Are we still the buffoons?”
Further continuing his bashing of the media, Xavi said: “We continue to be a team in construction. Yesterday you told me that the team didn’t perform on the big stage. Now what?”
“If we had lost today, you would have told me I was going to be sacked. Calm down, this is very long,” the Barça legend continued.
“The Barça entourage needs to be much more positive, it’s been a lost war since August. We haven’t been able to breathe. We’re improving, stay calm.”
Proud of the team
Discussing what it means to have won last night against Napoli and made it through to the Champions League quarterfinals, Xavi stated: “We’re one of the top 8 teams in Europe. We have to be proud of what we did. It was one of our best matches this season.”
“This has been one of the best feelings as Barça manager,” he added.
“We’re doing very great work. We’re in construction, getting better, with young footballers who have never played these kind of knockout rounds.”
On the performance of the team, the…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/xavi-lashes-out-at-barcelona-press-for-calling-the-team-the-champions-league-buffoons/
Author : Michel Durant
Publish date : 2024-03-13 08:14:25
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