Barcelona boss Xavi branded Sunday's contest with Almeria his team's "worst match of the season".

The Catalan outfit entered the game off the back of a 2-1 loss at Manchester United in the second leg of their Europa League knockout round playoff affair, which saw them exit the competition.

A victory over Almeria would have taken Barcelona 10 points clear at the top of the La Liga table, with second-placed Real Madrid dropping two points against Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby on Saturday.

However, a first-half effort from El Bilal Toure saw Rubi's side secure all three points in front of their own fans.

Xavi showed his frustration after the match, but the head coach said that he was "most responsible" for the one-goal defeat.

© Reuters

"This was our worst match of the season. It was too difficult. We weren't there. We weren't inside the match," Xavi told reporters during his post-match press conference.

"There are no excuses today. We didn't deserve to win and we have to take responsibility. We noticed fatigue today. That's why we did so many rotations. The players were tired and it was clear.

"We want to say sorry to the fans. What we saw today is inexcusable. I don't understand it.

"I am the person most responsible. We failed. Luckily we have a cushion of points in La Liga. I always said that it was going to be extremely difficult to win it.

"We lacked passion in the first half. In the second half, we tried everything... 3-4-3, [Ronald] Araujo as a striker... Nothing. It wasn't meant to be. It was not enough.

© Reuters

"There's nothing else to do but self-criticism. We lacked the intensity of Almería to win the match.

"We'll recover, but we won't win La Liga comfortably. Nobody should think that. We're competing against Real Madrid, the current champions of La Liga and the Champions League."

Xavi will not be on the touchline for Barcelona's next league game against Valencia on March 5 due to the booking that he picked up against Almeria.

Gavi was also handed a yellow card on Sunday night, which will rule him out of the contest with Los Che.

Despite the setback, Barcelona are still in a strong position in Spain's top flight, boasting a seven-point advantage over second-placed Real Madrid on the same number of matches (23).