Five things that Xavi must sort immediately at Barcelona
Xavi Hernández is set to leave Al Sadd to become the new coach of Barcelona and, when he returns to the Camp Nou, the former captain will have a lot of work to do. Xavi’s in-tray is already bursting, with solutions urgently required for Barça’s poor play.
It won’t be possible to fix this Barcelona team overnight, but there are some issues that Xavi must resolve quicker than others. Here comes a look at five things Xavi must sort immediately at the Catalan club.
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1. The lack of chemistry in attack
Barcelona’s main problem is that they’re not scoring enough goals. In Xavi’s last season of 2014/15, Barça were averaging 2.9 goals per game. This year, they’ve been averaging 1.2 goals per game across the first 14 fixtures. That’s not good enough for Barça, yet it makes some sense since this is a brand new attack that is still learning how to function without Lionel Messi. Xavi needs to get the forwards clicking and build some chemistry, especially between Ansu Fati and Memphis Depay as the only match so far where they seemed to be on the same wavelength was the Valencia one.
4 - Only four shots have been attempted in the first half of Barcelona (3) against Alavés (1), equalling the lowest total in the first 45 minutes of a LaLiga game at Camp Nou since at least 2005/06 (Barcelona (2) vs Getafe (2) in February 2018). Tension. pic.twitter.com/d0iNpvnWwh
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 30, 2021
2. The backup full-backs
One problem area this season has been full-back, both on the right and the left. While Sergiño Dest and Jordi Alba have done well when playing, the issue is that neither has a clear deputy since the club sold their backup full-backs in the summer to scrape together some money. Xavi must find solutions here without splashing the cash, whether that’s giving more minutes to players like 18-year-old Alejandro Baldé or whether that’s convincing Sergi Roberto that right-back will be his primary position from now on.
3. Riqui Puig’s isolation
Riqui Puig had offers to leave Barcelona in the summer, but he decided to stay at the Camp Nou because he was convinced Ronald Koeman wouldn’t last long. The 22-year-old, who was ostracised by the Dutchman, was right and now he could earn more playing time under Xavi. Riqui Puig will have to earn his minutes, but Xavi will know that this situation needs to resolved and that having the La Masia graduate on the pitch would generate a buzz among the fanbase.
RIQUI PUIG IS ON AND IT'S ONLY THE 70TH MINUTE!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/v0DWJ0vxSK
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) October 30, 2021
4. Ter Stegen’s poor form
Marc-André ter Stegen used to be one of Barcelona’s most important players. There was a time not that long ago when he and Lionel Messi could win games themselves. But, the German goalkeeper hasn’t had a good start to the season and he needs to get back to his best if Barcelona are to have a chance of competing for titles in the near future. Xavi knows Ter Stegen from their time together and needs to give his former teammate the necessary confidence and peace of mind to recover his best form.
5. The centre of defence
It doesn’t help Ter Stegen that Barcelona’s back line has been porous all year, so this is another area Xavi must address. Gerard Piqué isn’t the player he was five years ago, but is still capable of starting. The problem is that it remains unclear if Eric García or Ronald Araújo should be his partner. Xavi needs to settle on a starting central defensive duo and must then ensure that Piqué’s sidekick understands the nuances of the role.
