Xavi Hernandez has admitted that he’ll leave Barcelona if they are “not competing at the end of the season” after the club crashed out of the Copa del Rey.
Barca succumbed to Athletic Club in the quarter-finals of the competition on Wednesday evening, losing 4-2 after extra time at San Mames. Xavi’s side had taken a 2-1 lead in the first half of the cup clash, before a second half strike from Oihan Sancet forced the game into extra time – a period during which brothers Inaki and Nico Williams each scored to secure the win for the home side.
The Copa del Rey exit has once again led to debate about Xavi’s future at the club, and speaking after the game, the manager admitted that he would step away if Barca are not competitive by the end of the season.
“If we not competing at the end of the season, then I will have to leave,” Xavi told the press.
“But that does not just go for me, it goes for all coaches. This is a big club. This is Barca. I know where I am and the demands that exist. We have to win trophies – or at least compete for them.
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“Tonight we have competed. We have fought hard and given everything, but against a very good team. Athletic deserved it. Congratulations to them, this is football.
“We are going to try and turn things around in La Liga and go far in the Champions League. But I know how this works, when you lose, the coach is singled out.”
The defeat leaves Barcelona fighting on just two fronts for the rest of the season – La Liga and the Champions League – although their defence of the La Liga title looks highly unlikely given their uneven form. La Blaugrana are currently a whopping eight points adrift of surprise league leaders Girona, and seven behind arch rivals Real Madrid.
In the Champions League, Barca are due to face off against another struggling European side, Napoli, in the round of 16 in February.
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