- Barca boss Xavi said the team shares Ilkay Gundogan’s anger after El Clásico loss
- He said there was ‘no problem’ with his outburst, which he made clear to the players
- Major debates about Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal continue It all starts podcast
Barcelona boss Xavi insists he has ‘no problem’ with Ilkay Gundogan’s outburst against the team over their lack of emotion following their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid.
The Catalan side suffered an embarrassing defeat in their El Clasico match at home to their rivals, who scored an injury-time winner thanks to Jude Bellingham completing a brace at Camp Nou.
Gundogan was seething after the match, saying his teammates were not ‘angry’ enough after the result and calling for more ‘frustration and disappointment’.
His public outrage against the squad might have caused friction, but Xavi said the entire squad agreed with his thoughts as he revealed the German player clarified them with his teammates.
“Conforming is not in Barcelona’s DNA,” he told the media ahead of their trip to Real Sociedad. “There is a demand here for excellence and for victory.
Barcelona boss
He stressed that the entire team shared his anger at not being emotional enough after the 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid
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‘Gundogan’s interview was discussed in the dressing room, he made it clear what he meant and there is no problem. No one needs to tell us what the demands are at Barca, especially as I have spent my whole life at the club.
“We agree with Gundogan and do not see any controversy. We lost El Clasico because we made mistakes. There was a lack of concentration and we disconnected.
“He expressed the anger we all felt. I could have said it, or someone else could have, but he did it because maybe his culture is different from ours.”
Gündogan’s outburst came the same week when Thomas Müller unleashed a blow on his Bayern Munich teammates after their shock defeat to German third division side Saarbrücken.
Xavi claimed Barcelona made mistakes and lacked ‘concentration’ against their bitter rivals
He wondered why more players didn’t walk up to acknowledge the traveling supporters after their German Cup exit. Xavi said his comments showed that it is normal to hold each other accountable in the dressing room.
“If you see the defeat that Bayern (Munich) suffered recently, the captain came out, (Thomas) Müller, and said something similar. It’s cultural.
‘No controversy has arisen in our dressing room. We think the same as Gundogan. This is Barcelona. That’s how it is.’
In his rebuke of the squad, Gundogan insisted he was not happy with the way his teammates reacted after the match and urged them to take a ‘huge step’ to have any chance of winning LaLiga.
Gundogan said he wanted to see more disappointment after losing such a crucial match
Gundogan said: “Of course people are disappointed, but after such a big match and such a result I wish there was more anger, frustration and disappointment.
‘There needs to be more emotion, especially when you lose.
“You know you can perform better in certain situations and you don’t react, and this ultimately transfers onto the pitch.
‘We have to make a big step, otherwise Real Madrid or Girona will walk away.
“I didn’t come here to lose these kinds of matches or to allow a gap to open (at the top of the table).”