Barcelona’s Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Club did more than just ruin their chances of winning any silverware in 2023/24.
The 4-2 loss undoubtedly brought Xavi’s sacking closer to becoming a reality and that’s bad news not just for the legendary Blaugrana ace, but also for the club itself.
There are a dearth of candidates to replace him at this point and anyone with a slight interest in taking over this summer will need to ask themselves the question as to whether they really do want to walk straight into the lion’s den.
Barca have multiple problems to deal with at present, not least the financial issues that have dogged them for the past few years.
Joan Laporta and his board have been doing their level best to bring things back on an even keel, however, the mess that previous incumbent, Josep Maria Bartomeu, left things in, it’s a wonder that the club have managed to keep themselves competitive at all.
Unfortunately, the match against Athletic once again exposed all of Barca’s shortcomings.
Xavi’s inability to change tactics when required, the squad being so thin that Barca were playing with one 16-year-old and two 17-year-old’s on the pitch.
Getting rid of Xavi won’t change the underlying issues but it may allow a new manager to build a winning team.
In the unlikely event Barca win the Spanish league or Champions League, Xavi might still be that man, but it’s looking doubtful, and even Relevo are suggesting that he doesn’t have long.