Those who paid close attention to Barcelona this season won’t have been so surprised by the announcement Xavi Hernandez made after a chaotic 5-3 home defeat two Villarreal. The timing of his decision to depart the club at the end of the season certainly caught observers off guard, but this is a situation that been coming to a head for some time.
Xavi’s unhappiness in the Barca job has been clear for months. It’s a position he calls “cruel and unpleasant” with the former midfielder also candid in how the recent pressure has affected him. “You often feel there is lack of respect, you feel that your work is not appreciated,” he said. “It wears you down terribly, in terms of health, of mental health, your mood, your emotional state. I am a positive guy but the energy goes down, down, down, until the point at which you say: it makes no sense to continue.”
Barcelona’s results and performances haven’t been good enough this season. The chaos that unfolded against Villarreal offered a microcosm of the recent troubles experienced by the Catalans who have lost three of their last five matches including a Clasico against Real Madrid and a Copa del Rey tie against Athletic Club.
The success of last season faded quickly. Barcelona’s title triumph gave the impression of a team on an upward trajectory, but they have failed to build on this. The regression has been significant with Barca currently fourth in the La Liga table, 11 points behind Real Madrid at the top of the standings.
While Xavi has certainly made mistakes in his leadership of the team this season, the off-field upheaval that has taken place at Barcelona since last summer has surely been a factor in the recent disintegration. Barca certainly haven’t helped their manager by creating such chaotic circumstances for him to work in.
Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff played a key role in turning Barcelona round during the first 18 months of Xavi’s managerial tenure. The trio had a close working relationship and had a clear vision of what the Catalans should look like on the pitch, and achieved relative success in realising that.
Indeed, Barcelona played more like Barcelona last season. They were far from the finished product, but they controlled the majority of the matches they played through their use of possession. Xavi’s style of play was closely aligned with the principles instilled at Barca by Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola.
Barca also got younger under Xavi’s stewardship. He re-established the pathway between the club’s famous La Masia youth academy and the first team. Xavi built around the likes of Gavi and Pedri as Barcelona looked to the next generation. The outlook was a positive one even as the club struggled to gain control of its finances.
Alemany and Cruyff, however, left Barcelona last summer, leaving Xavi isolated within the club’s front office. The situation wasn’t helped by the subsequent appointment of Deco as Barca’s new sporting director – his relationship with Xavi is a frosty one despite the pair’s history as past teammates.
When Xavi pushed for the signing of a new midfield anchor following the departure of Sergio Busquets, he was delivered Oriol Romeu as a cheap option. Martin Zubimendi was the number six Xavi really wanted, but Deco decided it would be too expensive to land the Real Sociedad midfielder despite spending €40m on Brazilian youngster Vitor Roque.
The failure to suitably replace Busquets has cost Barcelona this season. The control they had in matches hasn’t been at the same level. Opponents have found it easier to keep the ball against the Catalans and get in behind their defensive line – Villarreal certainly enjoyed success with the latter in their 5-3 victory.
Defensively, Barcelona are lacking a leader. Gerard Pique made the right decision by retiring, but his departure left a void of personality that has yet to be filled. Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury hasn’t helped in this respect. However, few players in the Barca lineup know how to take responsibility of a situation on the pitch.
Barcelona don’t have their problems to seek at the moment, but their biggest issue is related to a lack of identity. They have no idea what they want to be. The Catalans can’t escape the shadow of their past with every attempt to restore the glory days measured against the standard set by the likes of Guardiola and Lionel Messi. Xavi never stood a chance.
