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Barcelona manager Xavi reacted to his team's La Liga defeat against UD Almeria, claiming that his team played the worst game of their season. The Blaugrana missed the opportunity to go 10 points clear of Real Madrid atop the La Liga table with the loss.
Eric Bilal Toure scored the solitary goal of the match in the 24th minute. The defeat marked only the second loss for Barca in La Liga this season. Xavi was unhappy with the loss, saying (via MARCA):
“I’m angry because we played the worst game of the season, especially in the first half. We lacked intensity and rhythm. We didn’t show passion to win the game. In the second half, it was better. It was a difficult game, and a hard day, but we’re still leaders by seven points."
Xavi added that it will be difficult for his team to win La Liga after the loss.
“It will be difficult to win La Liga, but we have to react now. We have not shown that we wanted to win here.”
Despite the loss, Barcelona sit at the top of the La Liga table with 59 points on the board from 23 matches.
Barcelona stars reacted to the loss against Almeria
Barcelona stars like Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Frenkie de Jong also reacted to the loss. Ter Stegen said (via Barca Universal):
“This is more than just a warning. We should have done our job. We were left with the feeling that we could do something more. We have to do self-criticism and see what needs to be improved. Madrid’s draw did not relax us, it’s the other way around, actually. Losing is always painful. We need to calm down, charge energies, and look forward.”
Frenkie de Jong said:
“We’re very disappointed. We had the chance to go 10 points clear. We didn’t expect to lose here. Almería defended very well, but we had to do better. La Liga is an important tournament, every single upcoming match is important. Things just didn’t work out. We have to improve and keep going.”
Barca will return to action on March 2 as they take on Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg.
