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Xavi Hernandez’s first few weeks as Barcelona boss have revealed to him both the good and the bad of the team he manages.
Sometimes the Blaugrana are sublime and dominant, but at other times, they look completely unrecognisable. The surprising part is that, no matter how well Barcelona play, they still struggle to maintain their performance for 90 minutes.
This was one of the biggest challenges faced by Ronald Koeman during his ill-fated spell at Camp Nou, and Xavi is currently contending with the same problem. The 41-year-old watched on in frustration as his side were embarrassed by Real Betis in front of a packed Camp Nou. There was very little Xavi could do in that 1-0 defeat on Saturday.
Betis expose Barcelona’s vulnerabilities
The current Barcelona team is clearly not good enough, and the players have consistently shown that there’s a limit to what they can offer on the pitch. The Blaugrana dominated possession against Betis at the weekend, but they simply couldn’t make their dominance count.
In the end, they had just two shots on target, and sloppily conceded from a quick counter-attacking move orchestrated by their opponents. That has been the story of the team throughout the season.
This is a game that exposed all of Barcelona’s frailties: they are a good side, but they are often defensively naive, and lack a creative spark up front.
Xavi tastes first defeat as Barcelona boss
Before Saturday’s La Liga game against Real Betis, Xavi had handled three games as Barcelona manager, winning two and drawing one.
However, he has now tasted his first defeat since taking the job. For that loss to have come against Betis, who are seven points ahead of the Blaugrana, only highlights the difficult job Xavi has on his hands.
"When we were at our best, the goal came on the counter. You have to be more tactical. They shouldn't catch you (off guard) on the counter,” Xavi lamented after the game, as quoted by Marca.
"We knew about their transitions. We had a few good minutes. It is too harsh a punishment for the game we have played. It is a defeat that hurts. At home. We were in good form, but that's how football is."
The new Barcelona manager reiterated that the team has to learn to dominate games, and especially defend counters better. He said in this regard:
"We have to dominate the games more. We have to stop counters. These are situations that we have to control. It has been unfair. This is the Barcelon we want, but we have to improve. We have to be tactically smarter."
Barcelona have another tough test against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. They need a win to confirm their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, without bothering about results elsewhere. Unless Benfica fail to beat already eliminated Dynamo Kyiv at home, Barcelona will need to beat Bayern.
Considering their form, though, the Blaugrana risk suffering a heavy defeat, which would Xavi in a very difficult position. No manager would like to be in the former Blaugrana midfielder’s shoes at the moment.
