Barcelona are once again on the back foot as they are suffering in Europe. The team are not playing at the level everyone expects them to and this has troubled the fans. They have lost all the big games this season. The team suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Clasico. The performance drew criticism as the team looked clueless and Real Madrid made lightwork of them The month of October has been really poor for Barcelona as they have lost out on all the big games. When it mattered, the team failed to step up and thus the consequences are there.
They have been extremely poor in the Champions League as well. The Catalans were on the verge of playing Europa League football once again this season before they faced Bayern Munich. It feels so harsh given the squad they have got this season. Lewandowski has been nothing but sensational for them. But the Polish have not had much support which has made the team over-dependent on him. He has fired in 14 goals already this season. But Xavi is frustrated with the results and the performances the team is putting in despite being second in La Liga.
But the team once again failed to deliver on the big stage. They have exited the Champions League this season as Bayern Munich were comfortable winners at Camp Nou. The Germans ran over the Spanish team as they Dismantled them 3-0. Once again, it is now Xavi against the world. It is the 5th time this season that he has lost a big game. Lewandowski had no chance against his former club again as he was well marshaled by De ligt and Upamecano. It seems that Xavi’s tactics are working in the league but not in Europe. Now they will be playing Europa League football for the 2nd season in a row.
Is Xavi to be replaced by Luis Enrique?
Despite the disappointing results the team has had, Xavi is still optimistic that it is just a rough patch that they have hit. It is true that the Board has full faith in the Spanish international as they feel he is taking the team in the right direction. But some reports do say that the coming weeks will be evaluated by the board very deeply. Luis Enrique has popped up as one of the names to replace Xavi if he does indeed leave the club.
Well, if the reports are true, then Luis Enrique might just be the perfect guy to lead the club. The 52-year-old won a historic treble with Barcelona in his 1st season with MSN leading the attack. He has since then led Spain to the Euros semis and also made Spain as one of the favorites of the world cup. But it is still early to say if something like this is on the cards.
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