Xavi Pascual confirmed that Barcelona will not make any signings despite the loss to Real Madrid, stressing the team must focus on the current roster. He pointed to a poor second quarter and ongoing struggles in form, while shifting attention to the upcoming EuroLeague games.

FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Pascual made one thing clear after the loss to Real Madrid: the roster is not changing.

Following a 95-76 defeat at the Palau Blaugrana, Pascual addressed speculation around possible additions and shut it down completely.

“There will be no signings, we will go with what we have,” he said per Mundo Deportivo. “From today, I will not talk about this situation anymore. I will not comment on possible additions. Names keep coming up, but we have to focus on this season. Rumors are rumors. I will not evaluate them, only our present.”

Despite the heavy loss, the coach did not want to overreact to the result itself, calling it just another regular-season game.

“We should not focus too much on the scoreboard, it is a regular-season ACB loss,” Pascual said, shifting attention toward the upcoming EuroLeague double round.

Credit ZUMAPress.com/Scanpix

Barcelona actually opened the game with good flow, moving the ball well and controlling the tempo to take an 18-15 lead after the first quarter. But everything changed in the second period.

Real Madrid caught fire on offense, scoring 36 points in the quarter and punishing Barcelona in transition and half-court sets. The visitors took full control, building a 51-33 lead by halftime.

“It was a game that was decided in the second quarter. In the other three, we competed. Once we fell behind on the scoreboard, we were not able to respond.”

The third quarter was even, but Madrid stayed in control and closed the game without drama, keeping a safe margin until the final buzzer.

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