Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has insisted that the players must take the blame for the team's struggles rather than under-pressure head coach Xavi.

The Catalan outfit booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday courtesy of a 3-1 success over Unionistas, but it was another unconvincing performance against the third-tier outfit.

There has recently been speculation surrounding Xavi's future as manager, with some players believed to have lost faith in him, with the situation said to have worsened since last weekend's 4-1 loss to Real Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup.

Barcelona are in the last-16 stage of the Champions League, but they have work to do if they are to retain the La Liga title this season, sitting fourth in the table, eight points behind leaders Girona.

Amid the recent criticism of Xavi, Kounde has said that the players must be held accountable when the team struggle.

"I feel very good, confident. In the end, like the rest of the team, you can't put everything down to one game. We have to look ahead and the most important thing is to learn from our mistakes," Kounde told Teledeporte following the Copa del Rey success over Unionistas.

"We turned the page and we have achieved the victory. It was a disappointment, but we have talked and we have to look forward.

"Today was important and every game will be important. The team is eager to turn the situation around, it is what this club requires. [Joan] Laporta encouraged us.

"Of course, in the end you can talk about the coach but we are the ones who play, so when there are bad results it is our fault of course. It's up to us.

"We had to react, this game was important and we have to move forward with intensity. I think that is what we need this year, and also to be more effective."

Xavi is not believed to be in any immediate danger of losing his job, but the Barcelona board will be looking for an improvement over the next few weeks.

Barcelona will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins when they resume their La Liga campaign away to Real Betis on Sunday, before facing Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey next week.

The Catalan side have another six league matches until they return to Champions League action, facing a trip to reigning Italian champions Napoli for the first leg of their last-16 tie on February 21. body check tags ::