'Xaviball' leads the way
Nobody saw this coming. An 8 point lead for F.C. Barcelona at this stage of LaLiga was practically unthinkable a few months back. Especially after that 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, followed by a loss to Bayern Munich that essentially knocked them out of the Champions League.
Motivation surely hit rock bottom and it felt like all the effort made signing quality players in summer to design a team for Xavi Hernández, had been a complete waste of time and money.
Yet somehow the Catalan manager was capable of lift his players’ spirits and remind them that there were other exciting titles to fight for, including LaLiga, despite the Champions League debacle. Proof of that is the team’s unbeaten run in all competitions since then, with 13 wins and 2 draws in the last 15 matches.
Barça were 3 points behind Real Madrid after the first ‘El Clásico’ of the season, and Xavi had to withstand some harsh criticism. Right after the game MisterChip heated up the debate by calling out Xavi and questioning his irregular results when sharing a couple of tweets.
One informed that out of the 34 coaches that had managed Barça for 50 or more matches, Xavi was the 10th worst one in that particular ranking with 28 wins, 6 draws and 11 defeats at the time. The other tweet showed how Ronald Koeman was among the top 10 of that ranking, in contrast to Xavi.
But how things have changed since then, because MisterChip recently revealed very positive statistics in regards to the current Barça manager. According to his information Xavi is now among the clubs top 3 best coaches after 46 LaLiga matches. His numbers are identical to Pep Guardiola’s, with 34 wins, 7 draws and 5 defeats, only bested by the superior goal average obtained by Manchester City’s current boss. The top spot is for Luis Enrique, who had two more wins and two fewer draws than his fellow ex-teammates.
So indeed, things have taken a turn for Barça and Xavi (Supercopa de España included). There are still certain doubts regarding the team’s capability to play attractive football on a regular basis, but efficiency has been key.
Although, little by little, the team is finding its groove. For the most part, thanks to a change in formation that has really benefitted Barça’s possession-based football style. Going from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 with Gavi, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets in the midfield, has allowed Barça to dictate matches with even more dominance and control. The youngsters Gavi and Pedri are also posing a big threat through the inside, giving more space for the fullbacks to attack much deeper.
If we add to this the brutal defensive numbers Barça’s backline is putting up, then you’ve got a team that seems almost unbeatable. With only 7 goals conceded in the first 20 LaLiga matches of the season, they have the second best defensive performance ever recorded. Only Deportivo de la Coruña did better by letting 6 in back in the 1993-1994 campaign. Another stat made in MisterChip.
There’s undoubtedly a long way to go still. Anything can happen from now until the end of the season, as we’ve already seen in these past four months. But Xavi is finally getting the credit he deserves by turning around a team that was in one of its lowest points not so long ago.