Xavi: Spanish giants FC Barcelona have not been at their best in the recent past.
The Catalans have failed to win La Liga since 2018-19. It got worse when they finished thirteen points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Barcelona have not achieved continental success since 2014-15. They suffered many humiliating losses on the continental stage in recent years. However, probably the most humiliating moment came when they failed to qualify for the Champions League round of 16 and were relegated to the Europa League. They then failed to win the second-tier continental competition and were eliminated by Eintracht Frankfurt.
In addition to this, Barcelona went through the worst economic phases in the history of their club due to many poor management decisions by the club’s board. Things were so bad that if it had been any club other than Barcelona, ​​they would be bankrupt by now. Consequently, Barcelona lost their best player in history: Lionel Messi. Still, Barcelona recovered from that position when Joan Laporta returned to power.
The strong rise of Barcelona
Following his rejoining Barcelona, ​​Joan Laporta has made many bold decisions. One of them was to bring former Barcelona soccer player Xavi Hernández back to the club as the next coach.
Xavi arrived at Barcelona after having managed only the Qatari AL Sadd. He took over when Barca were struggling so much that he wasn’t even in the running for a Champions League spot. Xavi in ​​a few months ensured that Barcelona qualified for the continental tournament and also finished second in La Liga.
Then, with the help of Laporta, Alemany and Jordi Cruyff, he built a strong team in the summer of 2022. Barcelona signed Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie, Christiansen, Jules Kounde, Bellerin and Marcos Alonso in a single window. Xavi also revived the career of Ousmane Dembele who signed a contract renewal with the club.
Barça’s summer signings did not take long to settle and Barcelona started strongly in LaLiga. Despite a 0-0 draw in the first game, the Catalans demolished their next five rivals in the Spanish league. They are now second in the table behind defending champions Real Madrid, who have amassed 18 of 18 points.
Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season against Bayern Munich after dominating the Bavarians in the first half without taking advantage of their chances. So even after the defeat, they are still considered a strong candidate for the Champions League. However, Xavi doesn’t see it that way right now.
Xavi makes LaLiga his first priority
According to the Spanish medium SPORT, the Spanish coach Xavi has set LaLiga as his main objective for the season. Barcelona are desperate for something on the pitch after pulling off a comeback off the pitch.
And that’s why Xavi wants to capture the league first and think about the UEFA Champions League. However, that does not mean that Barcelona will field a second fiddle lineup at the UCL. They still want to have a deep run in continental competition and will continue to field a strong lineup.
However, in La Liga, Xavi will present his strongest available line-up and will keep the league title as his first priority.
