A few days after their elimination from the UEFA Champions League, several people within FC Barcelona reflect on what went wrong in the 4-1 second-leg loss (6-4 on aggregate). The latest to speak on the matter is manager Xavi Hernandez.
Despite trailing 1-0 initially, Paris Saint-Germain got a boost when Ronald Araújo was sent off after a foul on Bradley Barcola. From that point on, the Spanish team fell apart as they conceded four unanswered goals to the Parisians.
Araújo wasn’t the only person to receive a red card during that match, as Xavi was also sent off early in the second half as part of the team’s meltdown. On Saturday, the Spanish tactician spoke to the media ahead of their match against Real Madrid and noted one regret he has from that contest. Additionally, the manager continues to have an issue with the refereeing of the match.
“Against PSG, I would have had to control my frustration more,” Xavi told reporters. “There is a lot of tension, you see the injustice. We didn’t minimise our mistakes and it took its toll on us. The situation was favorable, and we let it slip.”
Xavi: "Against PSG, I would have had to control my frustration more. There is a lot of tension, you see the injustice. We didn’t minimise our mistakes and it took its toll on us. The situation was favourable and we let it slip."
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) April 20, 2024
PSG are off to the semifinal, where they’ll face Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, Barcelona is undergoing changes as Xavi is expected to leave after this season, and they’ll need to find a manager.
