FC Barcelona coach Xavi Slams ‘Childish Mistakes’ After Mallorca Draw

FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez slammed his players for a ‘childish error’ against RCD
RCD
Mallorca on Tuesday, and for only taking a point away from the La Liga fixture which ended 2-2.

Just as they did on Saturday before mounting a 3-2 comeback against Celta Vigo, the Catalans once more fell behind to their opposition through carelessness and individual errors.

After Verdat Muriqi put the hosts ahead on eight minutes, Raphinha equalised only for Abdon Prats to put Mallorca ahead once more in stoppage time of the first half.

Barca leveled for the last time on 75 minutes. But despite his men holding onto their lead in La Liga with a point, Xavi regretted not taking all the spoils on offer.

“We took an insufficient point because of our own mistakes. The second goal they scored against us was a childish error,” he lamented post-match.

Xavi thought his side were to blame for the first goal too. “When we were superior, they score the second because of another mistake of ours. We had many clear chances, but we conceded too many chances [as well].”

“It’s our fault,” Xavi went on. “We missed chances at 1-1, I remember that Joao [Felix] had one, Raphinha too… and then we scored the second.”

Xavi pointed out that Barca have to “improve defensively” despite being “focused”. “Now we are conceding goals because of us,” he said.

And while Barca evidently have issues on the back line, he doesn’t think that there is anything to worry about up top.

“We created chances against a defense of five. Against Celta we scored three goals and today two. I don’t think it’s an offensive problem, quite the opposite,” he protested.

As for Lamine Yamal, who entered the proceedings in the second half and almost won a penalty overturned by VAR before paving the way for Raphinha to provide an assist for Fermin Lopez’s leveller, Xavi revealed that the club wants “to be careful” with the 16-year-old. “He is already mature but we want to go little by little”.

“I understand that people ask me to put Lamine Yamal on more, but I have to decide… he has enormous talent but we have to take care of him, he is going to be very good for us this season,” the manager predicted.