Barcelona midfielder Xavi has told his team-mates to “wake up” or risk throwing away any hope they have of catching Primera Liga leaders Real Madrid.

Barca could only edge one point closer to the summit on Sunday after a last-minute strike from Kalu Uche restricted them to a 2-2 draw at Almeria. Frank Rijkaard’s team had been gifted an opportunity to make up ground on the leaders after Madrid suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of relegation strugglers Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.

But Sunday’s draw means the Catalan club still have a seven-point gap to make up in the final 10 games of the season.

Xavi believes his side have to turn the tide after a run of three league games without a win. Barca lost 2-1 to Villarreal a week before their stalemate with Almeria and went down 4-2 against Atletico Madrid on March 1.

“We’ve got to wake up because Madrid are giving us chances and we’re not taking them,” Xavi said.

“The problem is we haven’t taken three points in three games now - just one from the last three matches - and playing like that it’s going to be difficult (to catch Madrid).”

Barcelona twice surrendered the lead on Sunday, and Xavi believes it is time to eradicate the elementary errors.

“We need to learn to control games and to defend a lead,” he added.

“We’re lacking a touch of maturity on the field when we’re in front, and we need to learn to put the games to bed. Maybe subconsciously you think it doesn’t matter if we draw because we’ll make it up somewhere else. Maybe we’re guilty of this and that has cost us about seven points. We knew Almeria had scored 17 or 18 goals from dead-ball situations but still, unfortunately, they put two goals past us from corners.”

He added: “Last year we gifted the league to Madrid. This year we’re going to give it everything to win, but we have to take the opportunities Madrid is giving us. It’s down to us.”