"A shame" - Xavi rues Barcelona's inexperience after dropping 2 'hugely important points' against Granada

Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez cut a disappointed figure after his side's result against Granada in their La Liga encounter.

The Blaugrana took the lead in the second half through a Luuk de Jong header, but conceded an 89th-minute equalizer to Antonio Puertas. Barcelona also had young midfielder Pablo Gavi sent off in the 79th minute after he committed a second bookable offense.

Speaking after the game, Xavi lamented the lack of experience in the squad and added that they had only themselves to blame. He said (as quoted by ESPN):

"It's a shame but it's down to our own mistakes. It's a lack of experience. The red card weakens us, but we've lost because of errors. We've dropped two hugely important points. It's down to us, not the opposition."

De Jong's header from a brilliant Dani Alves cross had Barcelona on their way after a tentative first half. However, the Catalan giants took their foot off the gas and allowed Granada to get themselves back into the game. Xavi noted the drop in intensity, saying:

"We lost silly balls. The second half was there to be controlled. We can't go home happy after that. We're angry. We must be self-critical. After the goal, which is the most difficult thing, it's the same story as against Osasuna [when Barca drew 2-2]."

The Barcelona boss added that his side had to start eliminating these minor errors from their game as soon as possible. Xavi stated:

"We didn't know how to control the game. We started dropping back when we had to kill the game off. We must create more to win. We've made mistakes. If we want to grow, it has to be now."

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Barcelona blow chance to move up the table

The draw left the Blaugrana in sixth place in La Liga after 20 matches. They have picked up just 32 points this season, winning and drawing eight times apiece.

Interestingly, a win at Granada could've taken Barcelona up to third in the table, ahead of Real Betis, who have 33 points from 19 matches and play tonight. But Xavi's side failed to seize their opportunity with both hands and have fallen further behind in the race for the UEFA Champions League spots.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid picked up a comfortable 4-1 victory against Valencia to go eight points clear at the top of La Liga. Their lead could be cut short by Sevilla, who take on Getafe tonight.

Real Sociedad also registered a 1-0 win to keep hold of fourth spot. However, they could be overtaken by Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, who also play their respective matches tonight.