Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez was highly frustrated with their draw against Espanyol on New Year’s Eve, and the players are beginning to see that annoyance in their daily schedule.
According to Sport, Xavi had planned to give the squad a day of on New Year’s day, had they beaten rivals Espanyol. Having failed to put away an Espanyol side that had only a penalty on target the whole match, they were back at the Ciutat Esportiva the next day.
The Catalan coach is determined that there will be no more mistakes in the coming weeks, during a crucial stage of the season. The Blaugrana next face Intercity CF on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey, followed by a crucial trip to the Civitas Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
The stars will be with the team for the Intercity tie, whereas a comfortable win against Espanyol might have earned them some respite. On the sixth of January, King’s day (Dia de los Reyes), Barcelona have another training session scheduled. A day of celebration in Spain, a win against Intercity will likely see that training cancelled, but the threat of coming into training while their families are celebrating hangs over the players.
It appears as the margin for error decreases for Barcelona, Xavi’s patience is also running thin. The message from the club over the winter is that they must win La Liga this season, but their slip-up has put matters back into Real Madrid’s hands.
