"It's the start of something important, whether I'm the coach or not"

FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez confessed after being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, after losing in extra time to Athletic Club (4-2), that he leaves San Mames disappointed at losing the chance to win a title, but also proud of his players, especially the younger ones.
"We are proud of the way these players competed against a great team and a great coach like Ernesto Valverde, but we are also disappointed with the result, because we didn't compete better. We have a short and very young squad and I think this is the start of something important, whether I am coach or not. I think this Barcelona has a future", explained the coach.
In addition, Xavi assumed that "if at the end of the season we are not at the level of competitiveness" expected "it is normal that I will have to leave, like all coaches".
"I know where I am and they are going to demand titles from me or at least compete for them. We competed against a great Athletic side. When you don't win, the coach is singled out, I'm not discovering anything," said Xavi before insisting that "there is a very good project" at the Catalan club.
"Not in terms of me as a coach, but in terms of a very good generation. There is a very good potential for Barcelona to compete in the coming years, but we have to work and we have to win. Now we have to focus on La Liga and the Champions League when it's our turn," he admitted.
In addition, the coach highlighted the difficulty of the match and his past bad luck: "We tried. I said we were unlucky in the draw. We took the lead and we could have scored the winning goal with the last chance from Lamine".