XAVIBALL

 

Eyebrows were raised after Blaugrana legend Xavi Hernandez was named Ronald Koeman's successor at FC Barcelona. The former Al-Sadd coach was coming in at a time when the club was already in massive problems. Having lost 2 consecutive UEFA Champions League games with only one goal across 180 minutes of game time and sitting ninth in LaLiga on 15 points from 10 games. A happy reunion cut short, Xavi and crew got straight to work and tried to reshape the squad in whatever way possible to salvage a group stage qualification but crumbled in front of the might of Benfica and Bayern Munich thus getting grouped for the first time in 20 years. 

18 games in charge and it is safe to say that the former midfield maestro has sent the club down the right path.

The tactical play seems to be slowly returning at the Camp Nou with Xavi reinforcing his side with 4 crucial signings in the form of  Ferran Torres(Manchester City), Adama Traore (Wolves), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) in the winter transfer window. He also managed to bring back the legendary Dani Alves (Sao Paulo) in order to boost the defense.

A squad mixed with young players and seasoned veterans is starting to show a few positives with players like Gavi, Nico, and Pedri stepping up to the plate, and meanwhile the veterans like Dani Alves and Jordi Alba showing their brilliance on the field proving to their critics that they have a lot left to offer. 

Recently Barca played a great game at the Mestalla, ousting Valencia 4-1 in emphatic fashion as Auba bagged his first Barcelona Hat-trick. The squad has started to play like a unit and Xavi and co. will love to keep that momentum up as they will battle it out in a winner-takes-all against Napoli on Friday, 25th March.

The only issue that has been noticed is the lack of depth in the defense. Eric Garcia has returned from an injury in the home fixture against Napoli but the squad lacks experience against top European teams. How will Xavi play out the remainder of the season only time will tell...

Visca Barca!

- Asher Collin Alex Dias