Xavi pinpoints 2 things Barcelona lacked in defeat to Rayo Vallecano
Barcelona manager Xavi claims that every match away from home is 'war' after Barcelona fail to increase their league lead with a 2-1 defeat to Rayo Vallecano.
The loss was just Barcelona's third in the league this season, with the hosts securing the win through goals from Alvaro Garcia and Fran Garcia, while Robert Lewandowski scored a late consolation for Barcelona.
Despite the defeat, Barcelona are still on course to win their first La Liga title since the 2018/19 season, holding an 11-point lead over Real Madrid with just eight matches remaining.
On his message to his players after the loss, Xavi said: "There is a lot left and nothing has been done. The league is not won. Every game away from home is a war. Real Madrid loses. It is a defeat that weighs us down, we have failed. It was a very good opportunity.
"It's difficult to win this league. We can't lack intensity, rhythm. We can't afford it.
"La Liga is not over. That's the problem, it's not over. We have to generate things. El Rayo has done the things we had to do. We have not played the match that required in this height of the competition.
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"[The players] have [to play with] more intensity. They want to win La Liga, but the difficulty is clear. This field required an excellent intensity and we have not had it. It's one of the reasons for a well-deserved defeat," said Xavi.
“They [Rayo] played a great match and deserved the win,“ Ronald Araujo added after the loss.
”We still have an 11-point lead, it’s a good advantage, and now we have two consecutive games at home and we have to win them.”
Barcelona’s next league games are against Real Betis and Osasuna at the Camp Nou.