The Catalan club is unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions and their last defeat was against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey on January 20.
Follow Us
Barcelona seems to be peaking at the right time after a disastrous start to the campaign that saw them sacking head coach Ronald Koeman and bringing in Xavi Hernandez. The Spanish tactician has turned their fortunes way before even the most optimistic supporters would have expected. The Catalan club is unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions and their last defeat was against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey on January 20. They are unlikely to win La Liga and are out of the Champions League and Copa de Rey but still can make this season a success considering the financial crisis the club has been going through.
? Focus on #ElcheBarça pic.twitter.com/U5VEJWJocj
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2022
Also read: Sahal has a big march of progress as a football player: Kerala Blasters FC boss Ivan Vukomanovic
Xavi, a Barca legend, who has won 25 trophies as aplayer with the La Liga giants left his role as Al Sadd coach in Qatar to lead what looked like a long-term rebuilding project. However, just four-months into his job, the 2010 World cup winner has helped his side climb to fourth in the league standings with a game in hand over all its rivals. Meanwhile the 4-2 Europa League play-off second leg win against Napoli has helped them to progress to the last-16 stage and made them strong title contenders.
Xavi’s arrival seems to have had a massive influence on attracting quality players in the January transfer window. The highly talented Spanish forward Torres joined the club from Manchester City while Aubameyang agreed to take a pay cut to make the move from Arsenal.
The 43-year-old Spanish tactician has been able to assemble a well balanced team despite all the limitations. The arrival of 38-year-old right-back Dani Alves in November for a second stint surprised many but Xavi has been able to use the veteran to good effect. He has made six appearances so far, scoring ones and registering three assists.
The Brazilian doesn’t have the legs to run the length of the field for 90 minutes therefore Xavi deploys him behind a young winger who can do the bulk of the running or alongside Sergio Busquets in the midfield. Alves has been brilliant with his pin-point crossing and leadership qualities on and off the pitch.
Barcelona now has a perfect balance of youth and experience. 33-year-old Sergio Busquets marshalls the midfield alongside 18-year-old Pedri and 24-year-old Frenkie de Jong. Similarly 32-year-old Aubameyang leads the attack with 21-year-old Torres and 26-year-old Traore occupying the flanks.
Xavi’s side has been in red-hot form in their last three games, scoring 12 goals and conceding just three. The new-look front-three of Barca consisting of Aubameyang, Traore and Torres has been linking up pretty well and are finding the back of the net. Aubameyang has netted five times in his last three appearances, that includes a hat-trick against Valencia.
League leaders Real Madrid are 15 points above Barcelona and with 13 more games to go, don’t be surprised if Xavi’s side makes a final sprint in the last lap for the title. It might not sound as crazy as it would have been a month ago. Barcelona’s next match is against Elche on sunday and then they will host Turkish side Galatasaray in the Europa League round of 16 fixture.
La Liga: Real Madrid notch hard-fought win as Atletico, Valencia also register wins
