The match against UD Las Palmas could have been the end of the road for Xavi as the manager of FC Barcelona, or at the very least, the end of the few remaining aspirations the ‘azulgrana’ side have on the league.
The team has been trapped in a spiral of negativity for months, and this level of performance will not allow them to fulfill the objectives they set at the start of the season. But even worse is the narrative that they have been hanging on to in a regular basis, until the match against Almería. Xavi was never really critical and the message in the press conferences was way too positive.
A clear example is their defeat against Girona. Míchel and his pupils swept Barça out of the pitch because, currently, they are simply a better team; not individually, but thanks to the coach that boosts their qualities.
That day, Xavi stated that his squad is still trying to figure things out and, despite them trying to change their style to be a more proactive team, it does not justify such a defeatist and unacceptable message for a team the size of Barça.
Against Almería, he was really critical and claimed a lack of attitude coming from the players, which is mostly true. Being disengaged is a critical mistake before match, especially when it comes to defending, but what FC Barcelona are currently missing is football.
The team relies too much on their wingers, does not achieve anything while having possession of the ball or rushes and tries to score with a single pass, which has been their biggest flaw this year. It could not have been any more obvious at Las Palmas, as the team managed by García Pimienta advanced their defensive line so much that Barça were obsessed with trying to get past them with a direct pass from the center-backs (especially from Araújo).
The Culers usually get way ahead of themselves, which evidently happened against Girona. This leads to them losing control of the match, having less players in the midfield and turning the ball over while in a bad position, leading to clear chances for their opponents. In many occasions, they may get away with it, as they are far superior to most teams in LaLiga when it comes to quality in both the defending and attacking box. But those mistakes fully come to life while in the European stage.
The only positive takeaways from their last match (aside from the win) were the good sensations left by Ferran as the team’s striker, who provided depth on offense, and the hefty message that Xavi sends to the team by benching Lewandowski while tied and taking the risk of falling nine points behind the leaders.
In the end, Europe will pass judgment (which is usually bad news for the Culers). We shall see if the win against García Pimienta’s pupils helps turn the situation around, it does not seem like it will in a season that is just another example of Barça scraping points in the last minutes and playing desperately.
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: @FCBarcelona_es.
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