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ESPN FC will try to understand Robert Lewandowski’s recent slump in form following Barcelona’s loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. (1:05)
Xavi Hernandez says Barcelona are stagnant and want to restart after suffering a wonderful 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League in Hamburg on Tuesday.
Danylo Sikan scored the goal of the match just before half-time, when Barca missed the chance to book their place in the last 16 of the competition.
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The Spanish champions dominated the game but only managed one shot on target despite the arrival of Pedri, Lamine Yamal and João Félix in the second half.
“We deserve to lose,” the Barcelona coach said in his post-match press conference. “We have to be honest. We didn’t play well and nothing happened as we had planned.
“The point of our functionality is low right now. It was one of the worst games of my two years in charge. We want to be self-critical.
“There’s a backlash right now, but it’s not enough. This festival demands the most productive from you and we weren’t there today. This is obviously a step backwards.
“We’re angry. Confidence has dropped, we’re a bit stagnant and we want to restart. “
Barca beat Real Sociedad 1-0 at the weekend in La Liga, but Xavi called the Basque’s performance “unacceptable” and criticised the intensity shown by his players.
Against Shakhtar, who had to travel to Hamburg to play European matches due to the war in Ukraine, the Barça coach was more disappointed with his behaviour.
“This time I wouldn’t say it’s an intensity factor,” he added. “We didn’t see what the game needed. We lost a lot of balls, we didn’t attack well, we didn’t manage crosses well and we paid for our mistakes. “
Barca remain top of Group G with nine problems in four games, on par with FC Porto, while Shakhtar have six problems and Royal Antwerp remain unnecessary.
“It’s a shame because we wanted to reserve our place in the round of 16,” Xavi said. “But we still have the qualification in our hands, and that’s the most positive thing.
“We have the next game at home, against Porto, and we can seal it there. We want to regain trust. We are experiencing a small decline right now.
“Not so long ago we played a lot of football. It’s an intellectual problem. “
Barca defender Joao Cancelo has called on the team to respond on Sunday when they host Alaves in La Liga, where they are third in the standings, with leaders Girona four points and Real Madrid two points.
“We’ve played poorly in the last two games,” Cancelo said. “Against Real Sociedad we didn’t deserve to win and today we didn’t play well enough to pick up points.
“Now we have a game this weekend to come back with a better mentality before the break. “