By Jude Summerfield
Barcelona manager Xavi says individual mistakes have cost his side in the La Liga title race after Real Madrid won their 36th championship in Spain.
Los Blancos' victory over Cadiz put pressure on Barca to get result away at Girona on Saturday night but the Catalan giants fell to a 4-2 defeat, meaning they can no longer mathematically catch Madrid at the top of the table.
It's been another turbulent year for Barca and manager Xavi, who will stick around for the 2024/25 season after reversing his decision to quit, but the legendary midfielder was dissatisfied with his team's efforts at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi.
He told reporters: "This match shows a lack of competitiveness, a lack of maturity, and individual errors that should not happen at this level.
"Last season we reduced our individual errors, but this season we doubled them. They scored two goals in two minutes because of our mistakes.
"Michel told me he could not believe how they won today.
"We gift the matches to our opponents. It happened twice vs Madrid, now against Girona. Even against Paris."
On finishing second, he added: "We will fight. It doesn't depend on us but we will keep trying. This is sport."
The defeat, which saw Barca relinquish a 2-1 half-time lead after goals from Andreas Christensen and Robert Lewandowski, resulted in Xavi once again being questioned over his future at the club. However, he offered an optimistic response.
"No," he said. "This situation is fixable. It is a mental issue."
Barca now have four La Liga matches remaining as they attempt to claim second place after Girona's victory saw them jump into the runners-up position. La Blaugrana are next in action at home against Real Sociedad and face Almeria, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla before the season comes to a conclusion.
Xavi also sent his congratulations to Madrid for their La Liga title win, with Barca now facing a vital summer transfer window to build a squad capable of challenging their star-studded rivals in 2024/25.
READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Xavi reveals key factor in Barcelona's failed La Liga title defence.
