Xavi Hernández says Barcelona are in a rut and need a reset after suffering a surprise 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League in Hamburg on Tuesday.
Danylo Sikan scored the only goal of the game just before half-time as Barça missed the chance to book their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
The Spanish champions dominated possession but only managed one shot on target despite bringing on Pedri, Lamine Yamal and João Félix in the second half.
“We deserved to lose,” Barcelona coach said in his post-game news conference. “We have to be honest. We played badly and nothing we had planned came off.
“The level of our performances is really low at the moment. This was one of the worst games of my two years in charge. We have to be self-critical.
“There was a reaction in the second half but it wasn’t enough. This competition demands your best and we were not at it today. It is clear a step back.
“We are angry. Confidence has dropped, we are in a bit of a rut and we need a reset.
Barça won 1-0 at Real Sociedad at the weekend in LaLiga, but Xavi labelled the display against the Basque side “unacceptable” and criticised the intensity shown by his players.