Amadeu García Barcelona

Barcelona

Updated Sunday, January 28, 2024-23:41

  • Xavi "The situation deserves a change of course"

  • Chronicle Villarreal sinks Barça further (3-5)

Since the confirmation of his return, on November 6, 2021, a coup d'état to overcome the shaky second project started by

Ronald Koeman

, touched to death with the loss of

Leo Messi

, until the communication of its planned end, they have passed 812 days. A time in which the enthusiasm for what seemed like a return to the essence of the team and the joy for the Super Cup and the League won last season has ended up being replaced by an almost unbreathable tension.

The image of the team, in free fall, has led the former captain to decide that stepping aside was best for everyone. A decision that he was forced to communicate perhaps sooner than he would have wanted after the debacle against Villarreal, now leaving himself, the players and the institution in an uncomfortable situation, a complete unknown as to how this will end in June. .

His debut on the Barcelona bench, to tell the truth, was not excessively brilliant, although it ended with victory. It was in a derby against Espanyol in the League, at the Camp Nou, in which the Blaugrana won 1-0 thanks to a solitary penalty goal from

Memphis

. From there, they had four wins, four draws, one of them against Benfica, at home, in the Champions League, which would end up practically sealing their sentence to play in the Europa League, and four defeats, one at home against Bayern ( 0-3) and another against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup (2-3) that seemed to question his project.

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Xavi, tip of the iceberg in a Barça that lost money, reputation, leadership and the game

  • Editor: ORFEO SUÁREZ

Xavi, tip of the iceberg in a Barça that lost money, reputation, leadership and the game

However, the arrival of reinforcements, especially that of

Aubameyang

, was a catalyst that led to a streak of 15 games without defeat, including a 0-4 victory at the Bernabéu, which would be broken by a humiliating elimination against the Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarterfinals of the Europa League. The team, despite everything, would manage to finish the League in second place, although 13 points behind the eternal rival. Xavi's second season at the helm of Barça, the first complete one and with the arrival of a star like

Robert Lewandowski

to the club , had a much better result, despite the fact that Europe was once again the big blur for him. The team was knocked out again towards a Europa League in which Manchester United eliminated them at the first opportunity. With an almost impregnable defense, they would instead manage to win the League title and the Spanish Super Cup, beating Real Madrid 1-3 in the final, although the whites would take revenge by eliminating them in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey. King with a resounding 0-4.

This season, the third campaign with the former midfielder in charge of the Barça bench, however, has become a kind of downhill slope without brakes. His defensive performance, his great asset last year, has plummeted. The atmosphere, increasingly rarefied, no matter how much he sought to obtain better control of it with changes in his organizational chart at a communicative level, has ended up leaving the announcement of his goodbye as the only escape valve for the one from Terrassa.

From speech to reality

"He told me that he would leave, but that he wanted to finish the season, and it is a formula that I accept because it is proposed by Xavi and he is a legend of Barcelona fans,"

Joan Laporta

said on Sunday . The result of this very risky bet, for now, is uncertain. No matter how much the heavyweights closed ranks around his figure after the 3-5 against Villarreal, knowing that his presence already has an expiration date can have an unexpected effect.

In his legacy, of course, there are many more shadows than lights. Beyond the titles (two), there was always a sidereal distance between the discourse ("winning here is not enough, you have to play well") and reality, with a team that has shone on very few occasions. His constant excuses (the sun in Getafe, the tall dry grass, the referees) have been tarnishing his image, outside of Barcelona, ​​as one of the best players in the history of Spain. He will be able to boast, perhaps, of the bet he is forced to make? through the quarry. Between the first (

Ilias Akhomach

, who scored a goal for Villarreal), and the last (

Pau Cubarsí

), there are 13 more names, among which, without a doubt, Lamine Yamal stands out.