The Catalans failed to extend their lead to 15 points after a frustrating draw against Girona.
Girona managed to hold Barça off after an intense 90 minutes at the Spotify Camp Nou. The match saw possession change hands multiple times but both sides failed to break the deadlock before the final whistle. Xavi and Busquets spoke to the press after the match and talked about the opponent, result, among other things.
This is what Xavi had to say:
On the result:
“Things have not worked out for us. We managed to get a point, but the way I see it, we lost two. It’s a missed opportunity for us to extend our lead.”
On the game plan:
“We knew that they put Arnau on the inside and we decided that Ansu had to follow him, so that Santi Bueno could be isolated. They work the ball out very well and Míchel is a great coach. They made things difficult for us. We should have scored a goal before half time.”
On Barça’s positives:
“It has been very difficult for us to be in this privileged situation and we have to be calm until we can win the league. Being on the top comes at a price. The main objective is to win La Liga and we are on the right track. We had a chance of going 15 points clear but irrespective of the result, we are still the leaders.”
On his concerns:
“What worries me is winning LaLiga. I think we are in a very good situation and it depends on how you want to see it. I see it positively. We have tried and we have played a good match. We had many chances to score and to win against a good team. I think we deserved the win. We lacked the final touch in front of goal. We can’t be satisfied with a point at home, but we are still 13 points behind clear of second place with ten games to go. We have to change the dynamics and rest before preparing for the match against Getafe.”
On Jordi Alba:
“We have been ineffective with the final pass in the box and I think Jordi can be of great help to us in that area.”
This is what Busquets had to say:
On the objective:
“Our objective remains the same, to win LaLiga as soon as possible. We have a lead of 13 points but we don’t want to lose it every match day, we have to try to win every game and if Madrid drop points, it would help us. We must continue working to be dominant. In LaLiga, every game is difficult and hopefully we can win the league as soon as possible.”
On tonight’s result:
“We all have lacked that little spark to create more and do better in the final third. The team has competed, but we couldn’t score the decisive goal. We are all in the same boat and we are rowing in the same direction. We have to keep going, we’ve taken one more point and next week we have a very demanding away game against Getafe. Hopefully, we can extend our advantage.”
On Girona’s gameplay:
“They have held the possession a little more. They managed to put many players inside our box, especially with Arnau. We have also not been able to press well against them.”
