Barcelona president Joan Laporta furious with Xavi after Inter Milan draw - reports

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is furious with his manager Xavi following Wednesday’s (October 12) draw with Inter Milan, journalist Joan Vehils has claimed (via Barca Universal).

In what was a must-win game, Barca took on Group C rivals Inter in the Champions League matchday four at Camp Nou. Having endured a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, it was paramount for the Blaugrana to seal a win and possibly leapfrog the Italians in the Group C standings. Instead, they narrowly escaped defeat (courtesy of Robert Lewandowski's equalizer in the 92nd minute) in front of their fans, settling for a 3-3 draw in the end.

The draw leaves Barcelona in a dicey situation, with them finding themselves in third place with four points, sitting three points adrift of second-placed Inter with two games to play. According to Vehils, Laporta is very disappointed with Xavi’s team’s performance, as they once again stand on the brink of group stage elimination.

Considering the amount of money spent, risks taken, and players brought in, much is expected from the Blaugrana this season. While they have performed admirably in La Liga, emerging as league leaders, their European fate hangs in the balance. To progress, Barcelona need to win both their fixtures, against Bayern and Viktoria Plzen, respectively, and pray that the Nerazzurri drop points in their matches.

The report further claims that Xavi himself is furious with some of his players, who have failed to live up to their billing this season. All in all, the atmosphere is believed to be complicated at Camp Nou.

Lewandowski bagged a brace and Ousmane Dembele scored a goal for the Blaugrana in the Champions League matchday four. Nicolo Barella, Lautaro Martinez, and Robin Gosens found the back of the net for Inter.

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Xavi claims the Champions League is being cruel to Barcelona

Following Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Inter, Barcelona boss Xavi claimed that the Champions League was being cruel to the Catalans. He highlighted defensive errors and insisted that such mistakes cannot happen at such an elite level.

Speaking at a post-match conference, Xavi said (via Marca):

“This Champions League is being cruel to us. We gave away a lot in the second half. The first half was excellent. Their first goal was a clear mistake by the defensive line, the second one too. The first goal's mistake made us mentally fall apart, the second goal can't happen at the elite level. It's been cruel since Munich, then Milan and today as well.”

Barca will return to action with a top-of-the-table clash against Real Madrid in La Liga on Sunday (October 16).