Xavi: "Now the goal is to reach the Europa League final and compete in it"

Barcelona said goodbye to the 2022-23 Champions League with a victory at Viktoria Pilsen and a "bittersweet taste", as Ferran Torres put it, for being eliminated prematurely, before reaching the round of 16.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
01 November 2022 Tuesday 20:34
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Xavi: "Now the goal is to reach the Europa League final and compete in it"

Barcelona said goodbye to the 2022-23 Champions League with a victory at Viktoria Pilsen and a "bittersweet taste", as Ferran Torres put it, for being eliminated prematurely, before reaching the round of 16. Even so, Xavi Hernández is already thinking about the next challenge: winning the Europa League.

The Barça coach was not hiding: “The sensations are negative. We have had it in our hands, we played very well in Munich, but the Champions League has these things: you have to take advantage of the good moments and we didn't, and that took its toll on us against Bayern and Inter, who took advantage of their good moments". commented the Terrassa coach, who invited his players and Barcelona fans to start thinking about the next challenge: the Europa League.

"We are candidates for the Europa League, it has been a very nice competition. The goal is to reach the final and compete in it", Xavi told his players. "We are obliged to compete well, to go far and win it. But we saw last year that it is very complicated. It is a challenge for the club and for the team."

Regarding the duel against Viktoria Pilsen, without any history for sporting purposes, Xavi commented that he left “satisfied with a few things, not so much with others. It's difficult to play a game in which you don't have the chance to qualify." On the positive aspects, he highlighted having been "well in the circulation of the ball and having attacked the spaces well", and on the negative, having "suffered more than necessary, both in corners and fouls due to the size of the rival, very difficult to defend. The result is favorable but the match has suffered. We have suffered more than normal in defence".

Ferran Torres, named man of the match for his brace, pointed out that the match had served “to continue competing and pick up dynamics to win, minutes and confidence. It has been a good victory. I feel comfortable playing, wherever, in the three attacking positions, wherever the coach puts me". Although, beyond the joy of the double, the Valencian was touched by the elimination from the Champions League. "There remains a flavor Bittersweet, we are Barça and we should be in the next round of the Champions League, but now it's time to think about the Europa League. Now we have to go for it all in the League and in the Europa League”.