Girona took Barcelona to the cleaners with a resounding victory
La Blaugrana were lacklustre for the majority of the La Liga game
Xavi Hernandez and Ilkay Gundogan have attempted to explain

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Barcelona were condemned to their second defeat of the 2023-24 La Liga season following their clash against city rivals, Girona.

La Blaugrana, who were largely tipped to clinch a victory over La Blanquivermells, were reminded of their frailties in the clash as they conceded an early goal courtesy of Ukrainian forward, Artem Dovbyk.

He benefitted from some slack defending to open the scoring as Andreas Christensen failed to cut out a long ball forward from Yan Couto in the build-up.

Xavi Hernandez, La Liga, Girona, Barcelona — Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez gestures in disappointment during the La Liga match against Girona. Image: David S. Bustamante.
Source: Getty Images

Although Barcelona managed to level the score seven minutes later, Girona regained control with a goal from Real Madrid academy product, Miguel Guitierrez, reclaiming the lead with a noticeable lack of pressure on the left-back.

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The defensive lapses of Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde allowed Valery Fernandez to score the third goal for the fellow Catalans.

Cristhian Stuani sealed the fate of Xavi Hernandez’s team with a decisive goal, taking advantage of the freedom he had in the penalty area. After the game, both the coach and midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan expressed collective frustration.

Xavi, Gundogan provide excuses for Barca

The under-pressure 43-year-old manager addressed the media, acknowledging his team's defensive issues. In a post-match interview, as reported by Marca, he stated:

"The mistakes in defence have taken their toll on us. They are the important details."

Gundogan, who was visibly frustrated at the performance, echoed the sentiments of the manager, as quoted by Football Espana:

"Today, we lost because of defensive problems. Collectively, we didn’t defend as expected."

The defeat added to Xavi's woes, as he now holds a win rate of 62.16%, trailing behind Quique Setien (64%) and only surpassing Ronald Koeman, who had a win rate of 58.2%, according to La Liga Extra.

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Looking ahead, Barcelona will aim to bounce back from the defeat in upcoming matches against Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Champions League and a clash away at Mestalla in La Liga.