Xavi: "I apologise to the fans, we fell short in every aspect".

FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández appeared at a press conference at the Al-Awwal stadium after what he called a "tough defeat" suffered against Real Madrid (4-1). He is determined to be self-critical and accept the mistakes they made, but also keen to go into the rest of the season having learned from those mistakes.

"I'm very disappointed with the team because they didn't show their best side, which you have to do in a final; in any case, I've had some very tough defeats, this is one of them... but there's still a lot of the season left".

Xavi did not shirk responsibility for the defeat, saying "I am the person most responsible for how things look, and I am prepared to take all the criticism". The manager highlighted the start of the game as being key. "The way we started the game was very important; you can't start a final like that", he lamented. After being 2-0 down he felt that his team reacted, but it was not to be enough.

"Football is a sport of mistakes, and today we didn't minimise our mistakes but maximised Real Madrid's successes.

"We have lacked in every aspect; we apologise to the fans because we did not show the necessary level to compete in a Clasico or in a final like this," acknowledged the Barcelona coach. "We have shown our worst side today and in the worst possible scenario, it's a title lost; we have to be self-critical, improve many things... but we can still achieve things this season", he continued.

Therefore, from now on, said Xavi Hernández, his team must wipe the slate clean: "We need to reset and fight for the three titles that are left", he animatedly pointed out. The manager has not lost faith in the character of the team, who have recovered before when in similar situations. "We have recovered from tough defeats many times," he said.  "I believe in the project, in myself and in the players we have", he added.  "It's a hard blow, but things go on, it's sport", he concluded.