Xavi's Barcelona on course to smash INCREDIBLE European record

Tom Weber

• 22 Mar 2023 14:30 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona are on course to claim their first LaLiga title since 18/19, and they could break a historic record in the process.

Blaugrana legend Xavi has turned Barcelona into a force to be reckoned with. Despite financial struggles and match-fixing controversy at the Camp Nou, Xavi's men are soldiering on towards the title, having just defeated hated rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Their success has been built on the 25 goals of Robert Lewandowski, to be sure, but more so than that, it has been constructed on a solid defensive foundation.

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In Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona have one of the best goalkeepers in Europe guarding their net. Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and, at times, Marcos Alonso have been solid in central defence when called upon, while 19-year-old La Masia product Alejandro Balde has been a revelation at left-back.

Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets, meanwhile, have offered excellent protection in midfield. In short, Barcelona's backline has been incredibly tough to breach, so tough in fact, that the Blaugrana have merely conceded nine goals in 26 LaLiga games thus far.

Can they break a 53-year-old record?

Reddit user Pek-Man noticed Barcelona's ridiculously impressive goals against record as well and decided to make a historical table illustrating the best defences in Europe's top five leagues.

Unsurprisingly, Barcelona currently top that chart with a rate of just 0.346 Goals Against (GA) per game. If Xavi's side can keep this up until the end of the season, they would break a record set by Serie A team Cagliari some 53 years ago.

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That famous Cagliari side with star forward Gigi Riva conceded 11 goals in 30 games (0.367 GA) in 1969/70 as they romped to the title ahead of Inter. Four of Cagliari's players went on to start in Italy's 1970 World Cup final loss to Brazil.

Barcelona would also better Liverpool, who occupy third with a record of 16 goals conceded in 40 games (0.381 GA) during the 1978/79 First Division season. As for fellow LaLiga sides, the Blaugrana would easily smash the record of Atletico Madrid's 15/16 season, in which Diego Simeone's men conceded 18 times in 38 games (0.474 GA).