Barcelona had sufficient chances to turn their 4-2 defeat against Girona around on Sunday night, but the general consensus is that the Blanquivermells outdid their larger neighbours to the south. It could swing the perspective on manager Xavi Hernandez.
After the match, Xavi told the media that Barcelona had played a ‘good game’ for large parts of the match, and noted that ‘this Barcelona is still under construction’, despite being two years into his regime.
Sporting Director Deco, who arrived in the summer and did not appoint Xavi, was not in agreement.
“We didn’t play a good game, we were not effective and that took its toll on us,” Deco told MD.
“We started well, but without being accurate in front of goal, they scored before and we were not strong enough to win the game. They have quality, they know the way they have to play, we have tried, but we have not been able to.”
“We have to fight, nothing has been decided, the League is long, but it was an important match against a direct rival that we have not been able to win.”
Meanwhile Cadena SER note that Deco has ‘full power’ at Barcelona, and wants to win ‘at all costs’. He has recently stated that Xavi had earned his renewal until 2025, but ‘that will change’ if Xavi stops winning, as is the case for any Barcelona manager. Veteran journalist Sique Rodriguez Gairi claimed that at the end of the season ‘there will be a reflection’ on Xavi’s work, and this performance will no doubt be marked in the ‘cons’ column.
Xavi was handed a tough job when he took over with Barcelona in dire straits, and managed to inspire them to a league title last year, an impressive achievement. Yet this season he has struggled to put together a solid team as he pursues more attacking football, and there is no clear direction of travel.
The problem with Barcelona team is the coach