Xavi lamented the state of Alfonso Pérez’ pitch after Sergi Roberto was injured in La Liga’s goalless draw against Getafe on Sunday.
The Blue Garnet’s misfire has been at Getafe, which is in danger of relegation, after they failed to score in their third game in a row.
Barcelona are still on track to win the title, 11 points ahead of Real Madrid with nine games to go, but once again they have had to lament their lack of excellence.
Sergi Roberto was replaced by Eric Garcia early on with a hamstring injury and Xavi attributed this to the playing surface.
According to Marca, the head coach said: “We were affected by the state of the grass. Yesterday we trained with a dry field. I have been criticized a lot for the surface problem. Today the whole world saw it.
“It’s very difficult to play like that, it’s bad for the show. The ball gets stuck, it’s bad even for Getafe. It is important that he is in good condition.”
Xavi added: “This is not an excuse, we have to come to our senses.
“We take a point that makes it not bad at all because of how uncomfortable we were.”
Regarding the injury, Xavi said: “Sergi noticed something in the hamstring. See tomorrow. Let it be for a while, whether there’s an injury or not.”
2- @Football Club Barcelona went to two consecutive 0-0 games in @LaLigaEn for the first time since May-August 2005 and for the first time in one season since September 1993 Drought. pic.twitter.com/zLAvk9jurl
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 16, 2023
The leaders will face third-placed Atlético Madrid next Sunday and Xavi has warned they must not miss their standards.
“I think we are having a good season in the league, but we must not fall asleep. There are very important games coming up,” Xavi said.
“We tried to get the full-backs to come inside. We tried, we didn’t have the best game, that’s understandable. We gave everything and got a good point, but we are not satisfied.
“I hope we can bring two or three players back next week. This is not an excuse, we have a good squad, I’m happy. From there, minimize injuries and bring people back. We’ll plan for next season and see what happens.”