"If we play like this, we have a chance to go through"

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said that although he leaves with a "bitter" feeling after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Napoli, he believes that if his team play like this in the second leg they will have "a chance of going through".

"I have a bit of a bitter feeling, because we could have won. We had it in our hands, we dominated except for the last moments of the first half. We lacked order and pause after Lewandowski's goal. It's a shame, we could have won. We let ourselves down. If we play like this we have a chance to go through to the next round," he said at the post-match press conference.

"A very good game, very proud of what we showed to Europe. We still lack that calm, that pause, but we were good overall. They were physically strong, they beat us in duels. I'm left with a bitter feeling, but it's the Champions League," he insisted.

For Xavi, what they showed in the Diego Armando Maradona, "one of the best games", and the home advantage leave the tie slightly in their favour because of the home advantage.

"For me it's a pity that the result didn't go our way. We can be proud of our game, it was one of the best and it's the way to go for the second leg," the Barcelona boss said.

 

February 22, 2024

"It's not the same playing at the Olimpico Lluis Companys as at the Camp Nou. It's obvious. It wouldn't be the same for us as it is for our opponents. But in front of our people now maybe the tie is 51-49 for us," he said.

The coach praised the good work of his team, in particular that of Denmark's Christensen, although he regretted the fact that they had let their opponents down.

"We played a very good game in defence and attack. We created chances and we played very well defensively. But this is the Champions League, you give away a goal and they score," he said.

"Andreas has given us a lot of movement, he has given us fluidity and he has hardly lost any balls. It was time for the wide players to come on, for the striker to appear and the playmaker to keep the ball", he explained.

He also highlighted the performance of Poland's Lewandoski: "He has taken a step forward in playing easily, in pressing... and that's why the goals have come. He's a natural leader, he's helping a lot".