Exclusive: Emmanuel Petit questions Xavi’s criticism of Barcelona media – “He knows the reality”

It’s safe to say that it has been a bitterly disappointing season so far for Barcelona. They are already 10 points off Real Madrid in the La Liga title race, failed to win the Spanish Super Cup, and are out of the Copa del Rey. The Champions League looks to be their only chance of a trophy, although even then, their chances of success there are very unlikely.

The campaign started well enough for the Catalans, but the last few months has seen them drop off massively. It was during this period that Real Madrid stretched their advantage in La Liga, and that they exited the two domestic cup competitions without success. Even then, they only stumbled their way to top spot in their UCL group, which was arguably the weakest of anyone’s.

Speaking exclusively to Football España, Emmanuel Petit gave his thoughts as to why his former club has struggled so much in recent months.

“I think you have so many reasons for that. There has been so many fights on and off the pitch. I’ve been told that Xavi has some problems with Deco, we all know the troubles that they have been having financially for many years too.

“On the pitch, they’ve conceded far too many goals in recent weeks. Last season they were very difficult to beat, they barely conceded. It’s not the same structure, they don’t have the same heart as before. They don’t have enough mental strength, they don’t kill games off when they have the chance. They aren’t the same team, they don’t have the same confidence as before. They have so many problems, and I’m not even talking about Xavi, about the pressure on him.”

Petit also noted Barcelona’s injury crisis as a key reason for their underperformance. He believes that the club’s medical team need to be scrutinised because of this, as he