Barcelona can't win La Liga, admits Xavi

FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez kept an optimistic outlook since re-joining the club late last year, but he is choosing to be realistic. As much as he wants to keep the title hopes alive this season, he has conceded that the La Liga Santander trophy is already out of reach.

As it stands, leaders Real Madrid have a 15-point advantage. Barcelona have a game in hand, and if they take all three points, they will be 12 points behind with only five games remaining. That means they will need Real Madrid to completely collapse in their remaining matches and they have to take maximum points for any chance of success.

"Let's be realistic, winning LaLiga is practically impossible. It's not the best feeling we've had in the last few games. We want to get them back," said Xavi in his pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday night.

Even though they have just been eliminated from the Europa League and are now pretty much out of contention for the La Liga title, Xavi still thinks they have a lot to fight for. "We are playing for a lot, the Champions League next year and second place," he said, as quoted by Marca.

Indeed, when Xavi arrived, the Blaugrana were struggling to even make it into the top four in the league standings. His initial goal was only to guarantee a Champions League spot, but now they have a good chance of keeping second place.

"We must be very patient. We are in the first year [of the project]. Next year, we will try to fight to win titles," he added. The former Barcelona midfielder was recruited by president Joan Laporta to spearhead the club's rebuilding project, after it found itself in shambles due to financial problems and Lionel Messi's departure last summer.

He then went on to highlight the ups and downs that the club has gone through in the past several months. "There are moments of science fiction, like the 4-0 at the [Estadio Santiago] Bernabeu," he said, before recalling the major struggles. "Situations of terror, like when we had no players, situations like the one in November, looking at the standings. We have to understand that we are in the post-Messi era and we have to have a lot of patience."

He admitted that they were not in a position to challenge for titles this season, but he called for patience and bravery moving forward.

The club has also been dealing with a number of injury concerns, with veteran Gerard Pique and young star Ansu Fati facing with recurring issues. Xavi hopes to get everyone back to full fitness, along with some tactical moves in the upcoming transfer window.

"We are planning, but we also depend on the economic situation. We are keeping an eye on the situation. For people to come in, they also have to leave," he concluded.