FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez was left “pissed off” and believes his side’s title challenge is practically over after their 1-0 home loss to Cadiz on Monday.
Real Madrid pulled 15 points clear in La Liga with their 3-2 win over Sevilla on Sunday, with Barcelona unable to narrow the gap back to 12 points.
Barcelona still have seven games to play, with Real have six, but Xavi admitted the title now seems out of reach, while they’re in a scrap for the top four, with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid level with them on 60 points and Real Betis in fifth on 57.
“We’re pissed off,” Xavi told reporters. “We have lost a golden opportunity to distance ourselves from the fight for the Champions League and to continue in the fight for the title. We have almost said goodbye to La Liga.
“We are Barca and we must do more. The team should have shown more desire and enthusiasm. It’s not about attitude because the players want it, but we need a competitive character. They defended the play as if it were the last, and we have to match that.
“We have to be humble and think that we haven’t done anything. To be in the Champions League next year, we have to play with more faith, determination and drive.
“We have to grit our teeth because we’ve got a lot at stake.”
The defeat caps a bad week for Barcelona who crashed out of the Europa League at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.
The Blaugrana face sixth-placed Real Sociedad on Thursday, before home clashes with Rayo Vallecano and Real Mallorca.
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