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When Xavi took over the reins at Barcelona in November 2021, the Catalans were languishing in ninth place in the league. Moreover, the club was staring down the barrel of a group stage exit in the Champions League after 17 successive seasons in the knockout stages of the competition.
Although Xavi was unable to prevent Barcelona from dropping down to the Europa League, the former midfield maestro guided the club to a second-place finish in the 2021-22 La Liga season. And with the Spanish Super Cup and the league title already wrapped up this term, it seems as if the Blaugrana are finally waking up from their slumber.
But is the club truly back to its best after a successful domestic campaign?
Let's review Barcelona's 2022-23 season and analyze the club's achievements and shortcomings to find out the answers.
Transfer arrivals and financial constraints
Xavi and president Joan Laporta spent the preseason removing dead rubber from the squad and injecting it with some fresh blood. Players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Memphis Depay, Dani Alves and Phillipe Coutinho were shipped out with Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Andreas Christensen among the notable arrivals at Camp Nou.
The club also struggled to deal with their financial troubles, resorting to raising money by selling its assets - such as a portion of its TV and merchandising rights. On the pitch, Barcelona remained unbeaten in preseason friendlies and set the foundation for the season to come.
UCL exit, La Liga stronghold, and Spanish Super Cup win
The new signings, coupled with Xavi's work on the existing players, started to produce results early on in the season. Barcelona won 12 of the first 14 league games, with their only defeat in that run coming against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
By the time half of the season was done, Barcelona were on 50 points, five ahead of Real and on course to finish the season with 100 points. However, it was not smooth sailing on the European front as the club was dumped out of the Champions League group stage yet again.
Failure to beat Inter Milan cost the Blaugrana dearly as Bayern Munich put the Catalans to the sword and eliminated them from the competition at Camp Nou.
The Spanish Super Cup provided Xavi's side its first taste of silverware as Barcelona prevailed over Real Betis via penalties before dismantling Real Madrid in the final.
Europa League & Copa del Rey exits, La Liga triumph
Barcelona started the second half of the season in similar fashion as the club maintained its stranglehold on the first place it had occupied since matchday 13. Xavi's troops only lost once in the build-up to the Clasico showdown against Los Blancos.
With a 2-1 win against their arch-rivals at the Camp Nou, the Catalans went 12 points clear at the top of the table with only 12 rounds left to play. The loss ultimately turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for Real's title chase, with Barcelona ultimately clinching the title with four rounds still left to play.
However, Europe was again cruel to the Spanish giants as they were dumped out of the Europa League round of 16 after an intense battle against Manchester United. Besides, the Blaugrana were also knocked out of the Copa del Rey in spectacular fashion as Madrid won 4-0 in the second leg of the semi-final at Camp Nou.
What to expect next season?
Barcelona have displayed tremendous improvement over the last 12 months. Real Madrid were coming on the back of a hugely successful season and they were fancied to retain their La Liga crown. But the Catalans displayed incredible consistency during the season to dash Madrid's hopes for a second successive top-flight title.
The Blaugrana's defense displayed remarkable consistency over the campaign, with Marc Andre ter Stegan, Ronaldo Aruajo, Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde having played a huge role in securing 25 clean sheets and conceding only 13 goals till the time title was secured.
However, there were big question marks over the club's performance in cup competitions, especially in the Champions League. The Catalans pulled many economic levers to sign new players and they were looking to recover the money via a deep run in Europe's premier club competition.
However, the Catalans had to suffer the ignominy of a second consecutive UCL group stage exit and even the Europa League provided no respite.
Besides, a flat-footed display against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final soured their domestic campaign a little bit.
Real are already on an upward trajectory, with Jude Bellingham is expected to join them soon. The renovation of Santiago Bernabeu is likely to finish this year and the club is set to pump its financial resources to sign the best talent available in the market.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid's resurgence in the second half of the season indicates that they will also pose significant threat next season.
Barcelona, on the other hand, are in the midst of Camp Nou's renovation, which is likely to keep the club out of their home till November 2024. Coupled with their well-documented financial woes, the club will find it hard to make new signings unless they reduce their wage bill.
Amid all this, the fact that the Catalans are looking to re-sign Lionel Messi does not bode well for their future. The Argentina captain would surely improve their attack but the expenses involved in keeping him could jeopardize the future of the club.
For now, the Catalans can bask in the glory of their La Liga triumph. But there is still work to do -- both on and off the pitch -- to scale the heights from Xavi's playing days.
