"We intended to look for a more direct option" - Xavi explains why he benched Barcelona attacker against Athletic Club

Barcelona boss Xavier Hernandez has explained why new attacker Vitor Roque didn't come off the bench in the 4-2 Copa del Rey quarterfinal defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday (January 24).

Roque, 18, arrived at the Camp Nou this month and has made four appearances across competitions, starting none, accumulating 73 minutes of cumulative game time.

Two of those appearances came in the Copa del Rey, but the teenager remained an unusued substitute even as the Barca-Athletic club went to extra time. Earlier, Gorka Guruzela fired the hosts into the lead inside the opening minute.

Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal, though, scored within six minutes as Barca led at the break. Athletic restored parity through Oihan Sancet four minutes into the second period before the hosts scored twice in extra time, through the Williams brothers, Inaki and Nico, to seal the deal.

Explaining why Roque played no part in the contest, Xavi said that he preferred more direct options and that the youngster will get his chances (as per Get Football News Spain):

“Vitor Roque entered the last match, and, today, came Marc Guiu. We intended to look for a more direct option. Vitor is very young. He will have minutes and will continue to be important. I believe he is a player who has qualities that can help us a lot.”

The loss snapped Barca's two-game winning streak since losing 4-1 to Real Madrid in the Supercopa final to Real Madrid in Riyadh on January 14.

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What's next for Barcelona?

Barcelona boss Xavier Hernandez

Barcelona have little time to dwell on their Copa del Rey loss, as they host Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday (January 27).

The Blaugrana's title defence hasn't gone according to plan, as they find themselves eight points behind leaders Los Blancos, but they have a game in hand.

Xavi's side don't come into the game in great form, though, having lost twice in their last four games across competitions. However, their league form has been better, going unbeaten in four games, winning the last three. Barcelona won the reverse fixture 4-3 with the Yellow Submarine in August.