Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said he is surprised and angry that his side are not being given enough credit as they race towards a first LaLiga title since 2019.
Barca moved 13 points clear at the top of the table with 10 games to go after a goalless draw against Girona at Spotify Camp Nou on Monday.
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However, after falling short in Europe again and losing to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinal last week, Xavi feels his team’s dominance in the Spanish league is being overlooked.
“I saw on TV today a programme saying this would be the cheapest league title won in recent years,” Xavi said in a post-game news conference. “That both surprises and angers me. We are in the post-[Lionel] Messi era, we’re making a titanic effort and the players are giving everything.
“I do not like it at all, but we can’t control it. We value the work that is being done.
“If we win LaLiga, we have to celebrate it big time. The feeling is that if Barca win it, it’s not given value, but we give it a lot of importance.”
While Barca have still not mathematically won the league title, supporters have turned their attention towards next season, with chants for Messi ringing out at their last two games.
After vice president Rafa Yuste recently admitted there has been contact with Messi’s camp, with the forward’s Paris Saint-Germain contract expiring in June, Barca fans have sung Messi’s name in the 10th minute of games against Madrid and Girona ahead of a prospective return.
“Leo generates excitement,” Xavi said. “They have been chanting his name for the last two games, but we will see if it happens.
“We just have to focus on this season right now and getting over the line. We still haven’t won [LaLiga] yet.”
Barca return to league action on Sunday when they travel to Getafe.