Xavi is back but Barca's problems remain

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 8 Nov 2021 10:49 CST
• 4 min read

Xavi signed his contract to become Barcelona head coach in front of a crowd of around 10,000 adoring cules on Monday.

With the strains of ‘Xavi, Xavi, Xavi’ ringing around Camp Nou, he formally became the club’s replacement for Ronald Koeman, whose difficult tenure was ended in October.

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The role of the new head coach is a difficult one, though. Since his playing days, Barcelona have been a force not just at the top of Spanish football but European football. The expectation of the fans is that he can restore such a status.

Not that president Joan Laporta was willing to play down the excitement that has built around the return of this particular prodigal son.

“It was an unprecedented presentation for a coach,” he commented. “I’ve never seen people as excited before and this is down to Xavi, because he is a man of Camp Nou and of the club.

“Today is a day for joy. It will mark the history of the club.”

Laporta, though, has struggled to deliver on his words since returning to become the man in charge at Barca: Lionel Messi has gone and the club has slipped down the table.

Much of this is not Laporta’s doing but instead circumstances he has inherited. He has not, however, done a good job of tempering expectations – and that will do the incoming Xavi few favours in the long run.

Xavi facing difficult challenge

Barcelona, of course, are facing unprecedented difficulties. Financially, the club is crippled, and the pressure is on to reach the Champions League next season to prevent an even greater meltdown.

Funds for strengthening the squad in January are likely to be non-existent and Xavi is inheriting a group that is not only bereft of Barca’s usual quality, but also ravaged by injury problems. Offensively, he will be without the likes of Sergio Aguero, Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati and Martin Braithwaite for his first weeks in charge.

Even before January, though, Xavi will need to hit the ground running.

His first match will be a home encounter against city rivals Espanyol before a crucial Champions League meeting with Benfica three days later. Then comes a testing trip to Villarreal and an awkward home encounter with Real Betis.

Failure to win any one of these first four games will pose Barca significant problems of achieving their ambitions in any single competition.

Laporta knows better than anyone how important reaching the Champions League will be for Barcelona next season, and indeed this target will be the one that Xavi is set for the end of the season. A title challenge either domestically or in Europe already appears beyond this group of players, but fourth place is not.

And even if Barca are only able to limp into that spot, which would be their worst league finish since the 2002/03 season, such a result should be considered a stunning success for Xavi given what he has inherited.

He may be a legend due to what he has achieved on the field, but it must be remembered that he is a rookie when it comes to managing at the top level and all his midfield mastery cannot guarantee his success in the dugout.

Xavi may have the luxury of patience that previous Barcelona coaches were not afforded, but time is against him to get this team back winning games and a club in crisis back on track.