February 17, (THEWILL) – Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has admitted his side have little room for error if they are to retain their La Liga title this season.
Speaking on Friday, ahead of Barcelona’s away match against Celta Vigo, the 44-year-old said his team “can’t afford any more slips” as they seek to make up ground on league leaders Real Madrid.
Barcelona currently sit third in the La Liga table on 51 points, 10 behind rivals Real Madrid and five behind surprise package Girona. Last weekend’s disappointing 3-3 home draw with relegation-threatened Granada was another blow to Barcelona’s fading title hopes.
Xavi remained positive that Barcelona can still turn their season around, saying the squad is “united and training hard”. With crucial matches in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie against Napoli coming up, the manager said his team is “totally concentrated” on responding well over the next few games.
The former midfield legend, who announced in January his decision to step down as Barcelona manager at the end of the season, said he wants to “finish his stint on the best possible note.” Barcelona face a difficult trip to 17th-placed Celta Vigo on Saturday, with Xavi admitting “these are three very important points” for improving their league position.
When asked about teenage midfielder Gavi, who has been linked with Paris St-Germain, Xavi affirmed that the 19-year-old Spanish international is “part of the future” at Barcelona. After recent patchy results, Xavi will be hoping his side can get back to winning ways this weekend to keep their fading title hopes faintly alive.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
