LALIGA: ‘Worst game of our season’, Barcelona lose to 1-0 to relegation strugglers Almeria

Barcelona coach Xavi acknowledged he was “very p***ed off” by his side’s loss to Almeria, as the Blaugrana suffered just a second LaLiga defeat of the season.

El Bilal Toure scored the winning goal for Almeria in the first half, connecting with a Luis Suarez pass to hit the ball off the crossbar and into the net.

Barcelona, who suffered a Europa League exit to Manchester United earlier in the week, missed the chance to go 10 points clear at the top of the table.

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Despite dominating possession throughout the game, they failed to convert their chances and were unable to find an equalizer.

Robert Lewandowski had two headers off target in the final 15 minutes, but it was not enough to save Barcelona from a stunning defeat. Almeria’s victory helped them climb out of the relegation zone, while Barcelona suffered their second consecutive defeat for the first time this season.

A frustrated Xavi did not hold back his frustration in his post-match comments, expressing disappointment with his team’s lacklustre performance.

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“We played the worst game of our season, especially in the first half. We lacked intensity and rhythm. We didn’t show passion to win the game,” he said.

Xavi also explained that the team may have been affected by fatigue due to their recent busy schedule, but he did not attribute the loss to a lack of passion.

“We noticed a bit of fatigue. That’s why we have made rotations. That’s why we have changed players. We’ve played a lot of games,” he said.

Nevertheless, Xavi regretted missing a golden opportunity to extend their lead in the league. “A golden opportunity has been lost. We could have had 10 points [as a lead]. It has been a bad day,” he said.