"They are very strong physically. Their first goal hurt us a lot. We were leading 0-2, and had a few chances, but didn't take them," Xavi said after the loss. against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
"Today we miss Pedri and Gavi.
"They scored two goals today and two in the first leg. In the first half we played very well, in the second half we didn't. That's a shame. It was a great first half.
"I think we played worse in the second half, lacked composure and patience. A goal hurt us a lot. We lost today because of the details. We can't be proud of ourselves, but we faced a big opponent."
It is true that today Barcelona lacks many key players. At the same time, the whole team showed that they can play well even without them, the first half proved it.
Honestly, this disqualification was largely due to Xavi's mismanagement in the match.
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Barcelona defender Jules Kounde admitted he struggled with Manchester United after half-time in the Europa League defeat.
Barca led 1-0 before United came back to win 2-1 and won 4-3 on aggregate.
Kounde said: "It hurts to be eliminated like this. We played very well in the first half but conceded a goal too early in the second half.
"When the game went 1-1, we lost the control we had established. It is very disappointing. But I think we also have to be grateful to our opponents. They pushed things up in the second half and made it very difficult for us.
"I feel sorry for our loyal and vocal fans who were here tonight.
"Like them, our goal is to win the Europa League. That and the Champions League team need to be learned. We have to go up a notch and I believe we will do so next season. We are a young team and we will have to keep improving."
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