Frenkie de Jong insists players are to blame for Barcelona woes after Xavi confirms departure

Frenkie de Jong has insisted Barcelona's players should shoulder the blame for recent poor performances after Xavi Hernandez announced he will leave the club.

Xavi confirmed he will depart at the end of the 2023/24 season after Saturday night's 5-3 defeat to Villarreal which left them a whopping ten points adrift of arch rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga table.

Xavi enjoyed a stellar first 18 months at the helm of the Catalan club, guiding them to their first La Liga title in four years during a fantastic 2022/23 season. However, Barca's results and performances have drastically declined during the current campaign, being dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Club before Saturday's loss Villarreal.

They were also embarrassed by Los Blancos in the Supercopa de Espana final earlier in January.

However, speaking to DAZN after the defeat, Barca midfielder De Jong was keen to deflect blame for the recent dire performances away from Xavi, insisting the players are ultimately culpable.

The Dutchman said: "It's our fault, players' fault - if it doesn't work out it's our fault.

"This can't happen to a top team. If you come back and are 3-2 up, you can't leave that much space on a counter attack.

"We have to do much better. We have complete confidence in Xavi and the staff, they’re doing a good job. This can't happen and it's our fault."

Barca still have the chance to end the season with some silverware. The first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie against Napoli kicks off in little under a month, but off the pitch club president Joan Laporta will be scouring options to replace Xavi at the end of the season.

Former Blaugrana defender Rafa Marquez has already declared his interest in the role, while others like Roberto De Zerbi and Thiago Motta have been linked.

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