Xavi Hernandez says Barcelona “can be proud” following Copa del Rey exit at hands of Athletic Club

Barcelona’s chances of winning a trophy this season are now at a maximum of 50%, as they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday after losing 4-2 to Athletic Club in their quarter-final tie at San Mames.

It was a tough loss for the Catalans, who battled hard to keep pace with Ernesto Valverde’s side, who did not stop throughout the entire 120 minutes in Bilbao. Ultimately, they were unsuccessful at doing so.

Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez spoke to the media after the match (via Marca), and he expressed pride at his side’s performance.

“We tried. I think we competed well against a great team that is very strong at home. I already said after the draw that we hadn’t been lucky with the opponent. We can be proud that we’ve tried.”

Xavi also said that his side must pick themselves up quickly, as they have two trophies to fight for in the remainder of the campaign.

“We have to rebuild ourselves and compete in La Liga and the Champions League.”

Although this was not an overly poor result or performance from Barcelona, it will still heap more pressure on Xavi, who will surely need to win one of the two trophies on offer if he is to retain his job for next season.