It was a night to forget for FC Barcelona on Sunday as they suffered a 2-4 loss at home to Catalan rivals Girona, who went on top of the La Liga standings with the victory.
In what was an entertaining contest, Girona took the early lead in the first period only for Robert Lewandowski to equalise for Barcelona.
The visitors reclaimed their advantage close to half-time through former Real Madrid man Miguel Gutierrez, before adding a third goal with ten minutes left in normal time.
A stoppage-time strike from Ilkay Gundogan gave Barça some hope of pulling off another miraculous draw, but it was not to be as Cristhian Stuani added a fourth for Girona to kill the game off.
It was a disappointing outcome for the reigning champions, who are now a whopping seven points behind leaders Girona.
Speaking after the match, Barcelona manager Xavi claimed that the match was an evenly-contested affair and that Girona have a great advantage in the La Liga title race, saying:
“Girona have a lot of advantages, they are 7 points ahead of us, and the work of Michel and his players is amazing. The match was equal. If Barcelona won, we would say it was fair. We had little effectiveness and mistakes in defence affected us.”
“It was a match of details, whoever hits will win. I think we made 30 shots. Girona were braver and more effective,” he added.
Further analysing the game, the Barça boss said: “In general, I think it was a difficult match. We took a lot of hits. I think we controlled more than Girona and the play was not bad. I think we dominated, we were good, we created.
“I think we have to continue on this path, do not doubt or tremble, continue working. It is a strong blow for us, but we must move forward. Oftentimes you have to take one step back to take two steps forward.”
Addressing what went wrong for his team, the 43-year-old said: “We did not control the details in the match. We failed to press without the ball and we lacked in other defensive aspects. We needed more intensity. Our high pressure was good vs Atletico, but not today.”
Defending the performance of his team, he further added: “We did not play badly. The result was disastrous, but the performance was not.
“The fans are angry, but today the match was not bad. The match was in our hands, but we did not take advantage of it. After 31 shots on goal we have to be more effective.”
Talking about what’s on the line for Barça for the rest of the season, he added: “We always have a lot at stake. We’re still in the Champions League race and we must continue.”
Xavi also went on to defend his star striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored a goal on the night, but was ineffective otherwise.
“Lewandowski helped us a lot, he scored the equalizer and he was close to scoring the 3-3,” Xavi said.
The manager also discussed the performance of Barcelona loanee Eric Garcia, who starred for Girona on Sunday night, saying:
“If it was up to me, Eric García would have not left us. He played a great match today. He plays without pressure. It’s not the same to play for Girona than it is to play for Barcelona.”
On if the result piles the pressure on him and the team, Xavi added: “I don’t think this loss will raise doubts. We met with the president and the football analysts. It’s a heavy defeat, but something else could have happened here.”