- Barcelona recorded a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Las Palmas in a heated encounter
- Xavi was furious with the referee and unleashed a bizarre X-rated tirade
- It's about survival! FA Cup replays must continue for the good of English football It all starts
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Barcelona boss Xavi unleashed a bizarre
The Catalan giants resumed their season this week as they looked to get their title back on track after a difficult campaign – and they almost suffered another shock from Las Palmas, who took the early lead through Munir El Haddadi.
Barca had to wait until the second half before finding the equalizer through Ferran Torres. But in stoppage time, Las Palmas substitute Daley Sinkgraven denied Ilkay Gundogan a clear scoring opportunity in the area as he was sent off and the former Man City man curled in the resulting penalty.
Xavi will be relieved with the win which keeps them in third place, seven points behind leaders Real Madrid, but he lost his cool earlier in the match after falling out with referee Gonzalez Fuertes who booked Roberto.
Around the 20th minute the defender was furious after Mika Marmol appeared to trip the player without a foul being called. Roberto protested angrily to the referee before being shown a yellow card for dissent – and then ventured to the fourth official to vent his anger as well.
Barcelona boss Xavi unleashed an X-rated rant at the referee during their nervy win over Las Palmas this week – after punching his face in protest
Xavi is said to have said to the official: 'I s*** on your mother' and was lucky that he was not punished
The coach was furious at Sergio Roberto's yellow card for dissent, despite the player having committed a foul without any penalty being imposed.
Referee Gonzalez Fuertes then handed out seven yellow cards and one red in the spirited affair
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And Xavi wasn't too happy about that either, as he 'protested vehemently' – which he said led to a reprimand. Marcaas he punched himself in the face to show his frustration.
And the Spaniard is later said to have launched an X-rated tirade against the official he was lucky enough to avoid punishment for.
Marca claims Xavi, who also kicked a bottle during his rage, told Fuertes, “I'm f*cking your mother,” a comment that “should have led to a red card,” the outlet says.
Fuertes would make seven bookings before handing out the red card to Sinkgraven late in the match – plus awarding the penalty to Barcelona.
Ilkay Gundogan's injury-time penalty earned Barcelona a 2-1 comeback win in Las Palmas
Xavi's frustrations sum up the immense pressure he is under after seeing his reigning champions' title charge under fire this season.
His side have had some dismal results this season, including a 3-2 defeat to Antwerp in the Champions League and a 4-2 defeat to Girona last month.
In their final game before the winter break, they recorded another narrow victory over Almeria and the coach revealed he had to have 'the toughest conversation of his career' with his players at half-time, with his side drawing 1–1.
“It is very serious that a team that has only won one competition has no soul, but that will not happen again,” Xavi said via Sport.
Barca boss Xavi – who also kicked a bottle during the match – is under enormous pressure at Camp Nou this season
'It's my responsibility. During the break I had the toughest conversation of my career as a coach.
'Did it work? You've already seen it. I liked the second half, unlike the first, and that's why we won. I think the win is fair.”
Before that match, Xavi had labeled his side 'one of the worst teams in Europe' after a 1-1 draw with Valencia.
There have been a number of reports that Barcelona were considering sacking Xavi after the difficult start to the season he has had – with claims in Spain that he has no support in the boardroom – but they have remained loyal to him so far.