Barcelona under brutal pressure in Europe after our golden era: Xavi Hernandez

BARCELONA – Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said on Monday his time in the team as a player helped set a high bar which the club are now struggling to reach in the Champions League.

The Catalan giants and five-time champions won four editions of the competition from 2006 to 2015, and have endured some humiliating eliminations since.

Barcelona let leads slip against Roma and Liverpool and were thrashed by Bayern Munich in recent years, while they have failed to make it out of the group stage in the past two seasons.

“There is huge demand on us, the bar is so high – this is Barca. This is a consequence of the Barca of the past few years, of our era, as a player. In 10 years, from 2006 to 2015, four Champions Leagues were won,” said Xavi.

The coach said the club’s objective was to make it through the group phase, ahead of their opener in the competition against Belgian champions Royal Antwerp in Group H on Tuesday.

“We like challenges, but the level of demand is so high, it’s brutal. It’s a consequence of inheriting a brilliant era, the best in the history of this club,” he continued.

However, Xavi said his players were coping well and excited to start their new European campaign.

“Looking in the faces of the players, the joy, I see hope. A lot of hope and desire,” added Xavi.

Barcelona spent little in the summer as they continue to endure financial difficulties, but were able to sign Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo on loan. They also replaced Sergio Busquets with former Barca youth team product Oriol Romeu, signed from Girona.

The midfielder, 31, said he did not imagine he would be back at this level after leaving Barcelona in 2011 for Chelsea, later joining Southampton in 2015.

“I’d be lying to you if I said that when you go to Southampton you think you’ll be playing a key role at Barcelona (one day), it’s hard to imagine. Football has many twists and turns. I’m happy, and hopeful of doing a good job,” said Romeu.

One of the architects of Barcelona’s golden era was Luis Enrique, who led the club to the treble of the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey in 2014-15.

He is now tasked with guiding Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League promised land but ahead of their European opener against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, warned that an “obsession” with winning the trophy would only hurt the club.

PSG have been the most successful club in France since Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011, winning the league nine times. They have also had success in domestic cup competitions, but have failed to win the Champions League, with the closest being in 2019-20, when they lost to Bayern Munich in the final.

“When a club is obsessed with something, it’s never a good sign. You have to have ambition but obsession doesn’t work in any area of life,” Enrique said on Monday, ahead of the Group F game at Parc des Princes.

“You have to wait and see how the competition goes, football is a wonderful sport, any result is possible. You can play an incredible game and lose, play badly and win.

“As a club, we play all competitions to win them, that’s the objective.”

Defender and club captain Marquinhos echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying: “The Champions League is not an obsession, there isn’t pressure.

“We’re working because we’re competitors, and the club is determined to win every competition, including this one.

“We know the path, it’s a long one.” AFP, REUTERS