It’s a huge game for Xavi Hernandez and Barcelona on Saturday night, but then the derby against Espanyol always is.
On this occasion, if the Blaugranes are able to end the match with the three points in the bag, it will help to cement their top four position in La Liga, and reinforce the belief that Xavi is starting to get things right.
It’s taken a few weeks to get to this point, but no one watching the game against Atletico Madrid can deny that the win wasn’t well deserved.
There’s still a long way to go before the team is the finished article of course, but Xavi certainly has lofty ambitions for his squad.
MORE: Liverpool’s surprise exclusion
According to MARCA, he still hasn’t ruled out a title challenge this season.
That’s some claim given that the Catalans are currently 16 points behind Real Madrid. Even with the two games in hand Barca have over Los Blancos, two wins would still see them 10 points adrift.
Frankly, it’s a monumental ask, but if you’ve a manager that genuinely believes that anything is possible, that sort of positivity feeds into the dressing room environment and can have a galvanising effect.
Even if the league title ultimately remains out of reach in 2021/22, there’s still the Europa League to play for.
What is, perhaps, of more long term importance is that Xavi is getting the team back to playing the way Barcelona and their fans expect.
As long as the basics are in place, the rest can wait.