Barcelona on verge of big things with or without me – Xavi

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández says the club has a bright future with or without him at the helm following Wednesday's 4-2 Copa del Rey quarter-final defeat to Athletic Club.

The defeat at San Mamés came just 10 days after Barca were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final, leaving their title hopes this season resting on La Liga and the Champions League.

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However, despite his disappointment with the result, Xavi was proud of the team's youngsters, with teenagers Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Hector Fort and Marc Guiu all present in Bilbao.

“All coaches of big clubs depend on trophies, but I am proud of the way we faced a great team until the end, especially the young ones,” Xavi said in his post-match press conference .

“We're playing with kids. The team is small. That's what I mean when I say we're under construction. I think this is the start of something big. Whether I'm here or not , Barça has a great future.

“There is a very good project, not from the point of view of me as a coach, but of a very good generation that is coming. Cubarsí, Fort, Lamine, Guiu and many other players… Fermín López .

I think it's the start of something big, but we have to work hard and we have to win. It's about winning at Barca.”

Barca hit back just 36 seconds after Gorka Guruzeta's goal – the third they have conceded in a minute this season – to lead at the break thanks to strikes from Robert Lewandowski and Yamal.

Oihan Sancet headed Athletic in the second half to take the match into extra time, but not before Yamal missed two big openings to earn Barca a draw.

“I'm disappointed that I didn't take a risk at 2-2, but there's nothing to blame the kid for,” Xavi added. “He’s a 16-year-old who plays wonderfully. He generates [the chances] himself.”

Iñaki Williams, who returns from the African Cup of Nations [AFCON] playing, and his brother, Nico, then both scored in the extra 30 minutes to seal the victory for Athletic.

Barca must now focus on La Liga, where they are eight points behind leaders Girona, and the Champions League, with a round of 16 tie against Napoli in February, increasing the pressure on Xavi to be performing well in these competitions.

“If we don't compete at the end of the season, I will have to leave,” he said, reiterating a stance he had taken in recent weeks as criticism mounted.

“But that doesn't just apply to me, it applies to all coaches. It's a big club. It's Barca. I know where I am and the demands that exist. We have to win trophies – or at least compete to get them.

“Tonight we competed. We fought and gave everything, but against a very good team. Athletic deserved it. Congratulations to them, that's football.

“We will try to turn things around in La Liga and go far in the Champions League. But I know how it works, when you lose, the coach is blamed.”

Match winner Williams was initially not expected to be available for this match, but the Ghana international returned from Ivory Coast following his country's surprise elimination from AFCON on Monday to take his place on the bench.

He came on as a substitute in the second half and scored the decisive third goal early in extra time, heading home after his first shot hit the inside of the post.

“I didn’t imagine this in my wildest dreams,” he told reporters. “Everything went perfectly. [On Tuesday]I couldn't even imagine being here after a really big blow with Ghana, let alone playing.

“I have to thank Athletic for everything they did to get me back. It was a party from start to finish tonight and the match ended in the best possible way. I think we deserved to win it.

“Everything happened so fast. It was a long trip and I didn't even have time to rest, but I wanted to be here. Even if I wasn't playing, I wanted to be here to help the team.

“These are the evenings that everyone at Athletic wants to attend. We dream of winning the Copa.”

Athletic will enter Friday's semi-final draw with Real Sociedad, Mallorca and Atlético Madrid or Sevilla, who meet in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Barca, meanwhile, turn their attention to La Liga, with back-to-back home games next week against Villarreal and Osasuna.