Why scrappy win over Mallorca could kickstart Barcelona's revival under Xavi

Xavi Hernandez has not had things easy since becoming manager of Barcelona. The 41-year-old returned to his boyhood club in the hope of restoring their elite status.

While he has since discovered the magnitude of work on his hands, little improvement can be seen from the way the team plays and controls games.

With many first-team players injured, Xavi has been forced to field inexperienced players from Barcelona’s famed La Masia.

On Sunday, the Blaugrana recorded just their fourth win in nine matches under Xavi after beating Real Mallorca on the road.

It was one of those games where Barcelona needed to dig deep but they responded well to adversity and were rewarded for their efforts.

Blaugrana earn scrappy win

While Barcelona dominated possession, which was expected, there was very little to separate them from their opponents.

In the end, Luuk de Jong’s first-half strike turned out to be the winner but this was a scrappy victory in every sense of the word.

Both teams had just three shots on target and, but for Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s heroic save in the dying embers of the game, the story could’ve been different.

But Barcelona are in a rebuilding process, which means earning such unconvincing wins can be pardoned. At this stage of the season, all that is important is the result and the Catalan giants deserve commendation for getting the job done.

Perfect platform for Barcelona to begin revival

Barcelona’s win over Mallorca has catapulted them to fifth in La Liga and just a point below fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

The next step will be how Xavi and his side build on this victory to revive the club’s fortunes. Winning the league is currently out of their reach but finishing second or third is still very achievable.

"It's an amazing victory for us, because we had 17 players out today, so it means a lot," Xavi said after the game, as quoted by SB Nation.

"It means we are a team, we are a family, we are a really big group. We competed really well so I'm really happy. This win means a lot. We need to continue and keep going like that because the team made a great effort today.

"Today is not the day to say the things that are missing, but the good things. We must praise the positive things, the first half, Ter Stegen's save. We leave without conceding a goal, we have known how to suffer ... this is football."

A win and a clean sheet presents Barcelona with the perfect platform to begin their renaissance. It’s going to be a long season but such a confidence-boosting victory is exactly what the Blaugrana need to kick on.