Barcelona miss chance to extend La Liga lead with 'worst game of the season'

FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was brutally honest while speaking about his squad's 1-0 loss at the hands of Almeria on Sunday. He admitted that they missed a golden opportunity to gain a ten-point advantage at the top of La Liga after Real Madrid were held to a draw by Atletico Madrid on Saturday night.

Xavi admitted that he was angry over the loss and the squandered opportunity while speaking to the press after the match. "I'm very angry because we played the worst game of the season, especially in the first half," he said, as quoted by Marca.

The legendary midfielder turned manager also pointed out the weaknesses that he saw in the squad, adding that it was too late when they finally started to improve in the second half. "We lacked circulation, intensity, rhythm... we didn't show the passion to win the game," he lamented.

It was a tough week for Barcelona after facing back-to-back losses. In mid-week, they crashed out of the Europa League against Premier League side Manchester United, giving them another massive financial blow. Nevertheless, he was quick to point out that they are still on top of the table.

"It was a difficult match, a tough day, but we're still seven points clear at the top. We failed, we apologise to the fans. It will be hard to win LaLiga, but we have to change our mindset. We didn't show that we wanted to win."

Defending champions Real Madrid only took away a point from the Madrid Derby on Saturday, and cut their deficit to Barcelona to only seven points. Xavi knows that winning a major trophy won't be easy, especially with such a brutal schedule in the latter half of the campaign. "We've noticed a bit of fatigue, that's why we've made rotations, we've changed players," Xavi explained.

He changed up his squad with Araujo on top in a 3-4-3 formation, but they failed to overcome a determined Almeria squad.

The upcoming week won't provide a respite for the Blaugrana either. Their next match will be against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Tuesday, and they can be sure that Los Blancos will be desperate to make it to the final of the competition. After winning both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League last season, Real Madrid would be eager to clinch the Copa del Rey.

Xavi understands that his players will need to boost their "passion, intensity and pace" if they want to keep up with their rivals. Amid all the off-pitch drama surrounding the squad, sporting success will be very crucial this season.