Xavi blamed excessive criticism from the media for Barcelona’s recent dip in performance, after an unconvincing 2-1 win over Deportivo Alaves.
Barcelona had suffered two defeats out of their last three matches across all competitions heading into the clash against Alaves on Sunday. The situation further worsened for them as they conceded the opening goal just 17 seconds from kick-off. The Catalan giants, though, came back strongly into the second half and picked up the all-important win courtesy of Robert Lewandowski’s brace. Manager Xavi slammed the media for reporting negatively against his team at the conclusion of the Alaves clash and identified it as a major reason behind his team’s current dip in form.
Speaking to reporters after the game, the Spanish manager said: “I have zero doubts that the criticism from the press is affecting the team. It happened to me as a player and I can see it now. There’s a massive wave of negativity around the team that is harming us.”
A closely fought win on Sunday helped Barcelona reduce the gap to league leaders Real Madrid to four points. Lewandowski finally found his scoring boots as he scored in the league for the first time since his brace against Celta Vigo on September 23.
The reigning Spanish champions will be back in action after the international break on November 25 when they take on Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
Goal
