Football Team: Barcelona will not win La Liga, the Champions League, or even the Copa del Rey this season, but they can still have a successful season. Barca would normally be in a full-fledged crisis if they trail Real Madrid by 15 points in La Liga after exiting the Champions League in the group stage and the cup in the last 16, regardless of whether they win the Europa League in May. However, two-and-a-half years of near mediocrity have shattered once-high expectations, while a slew of high-profile departures, notably Lionel Messi’s move to Paris Saint-Germain, have brought the club’s financial crisis into sharp focus.
During the first few weeks of his employment, when indications of progress were crowded out by a slew of lacklustre performances, the likes of which would not have been out of place under his predecessor Ronald Koeman, Xavi Hernandez profited greatly from the lower expectations.
“It’s proving harder than we thought,” Xavi said in December.
Xavi, like Koeman, benefited from a tsunami of goodwill early on and continues to do so, with fans offering him more support and optimism because so many believe he can be Pep Guardiola’s ideological successor.
However, there has been an excellent reason for a sudden rush of excitement at Barca in recent weeks, as the Catalan club sits fourth in La Liga ahead of Sunday’s game against 13th-placed Elche.
Barcelona was eighth when Xavi took over in November, with a porous defence made even more costly by a sputtering offence.
They will be third with 13 games remaining if they win their game in hand over Real Betis, and it is still possible that they will finish second by overtaking Sevilla, who are nine points ahead and have played one more game.
Since being defeated by Bayern Munich on December 8, Barcelona has not lost a match in 90 minutes. They’ve won their previous three games against Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, and Napoli, the last of which was a particularly remarkable 4-2 victory in Naples that qualified them for the Europa League quarter-finals.
They scored four goals in each of those games, the first time they’ve done so since 2017, when Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez combined for 11 of Barcelona’s 12 goals.
“We’re creating chances, converting them,” said Xavi. “Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem for us.”
The additions made in January make a difference.
The forward line may not be as star-studded as it once was, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore, and Ferran Torres — all of whom were signed in January — have added dynamism and edge that was previously lacking.
Ousmane Dembele’s return to fitness and favour has been a tremendous plus.
Pedri, on the other hand, continues to improve. “There is no one better in the world in terms of pure talent,” Xavi stated.
On Sunday, Pedri escaped from the touchline by slipping a backheel through his marker’s knees in the second half against Athletic Bilbao.
Fans who were lucky enough to see it up close erupted in fits of laughter, joy, and disbelief, not so much celebrating as exploding in fits of laughter, joy, and disbelief.
It was a moment to savour for Barca, not least because it felt like the culmination of a growing sense in recent weeks that the club is enjoying itself again after one of the most depressing periods in its history.
If Xavi can combine that improvement with a top-four finish or a Europa League title, his first season as coach will be a spectacular triumph.
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