(ESP-ENG) El descalabro del Barcelona, se esperaba? // Barcelona's collapse was expected? [OPINION]

Hello friends, good vibes to all.

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There is one truth that is undeniable and it is that we are not used to or should not be so common to see European competitions without Barcelona, whether you are a fan or not. And if we list the great teams of the old continent the blaugranas would have to be on that list if or if for everything they have achieved in recent times. The thing is that since a couple of years that the culé machine has not been very well geared and the results have been adverse, a situation that they wanted to remedy with the arrival of Xavi to the squad.

Xavi Hernandez arrived at Barca a little more than five months ago, on November 8 to be exact, with the illusion of straightening the team in La Liga, get as far as possible in the Champions League and if all that was not possible then try to catch something with the King's Cup or failing that with the Europa League. I don't remember what position the team was in before Xavi's arrival, I presume it was from seventh to ninth, but today they are in second place, twelve points behind Real Madrid.

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In this same space I remember that I commented that the work that Xavi had ahead of him with this Barcelona was gigantic because he was receiving a team without motivation, that did not know what they played, without any identity, in short, an unknown team for many. At the beginning it was hard to see how the Culés apparently did not react with the arrival of their "messiah", we continued to see bad games with a defense that was a real sieve but the weeks began to pass and yes, a lukewarm improvement began to dazzle along the way.

Asking Xavi to win the Champions League or at least reach the final was something totally absurd, starting with the fact that he himself made it quite clear that with the squad they had, they should not have too many illusions. That is why the reinforcements began to arrive: Adama Troure, Ferran Torres, Dani Alves and Aubameyang and the truth is that yes, the team began to work better as they strengthened a team that in itself was not bad, hence the good results were not long in coming.

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"La Xavineta" was a reality, honestly in La Liga they seem unstoppable, many of their games are won with a lead of three or four goals; but something happens and that is that for every 5 good games they have, they have a terribly bad one that generates incredible doubts. The thing is that those bad games are usually the decisive ones. I suppose this is normal and happens in all the big teams, but I still find it curious.

They lost the Spanish Super Cup against Madrid, they lost in the group stage of the Champions League, they lost in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey against Athletic Bilbao and now they lost in a resounding manner in the quarterfinals of the Europa League against a team that is ninth in their league, Frankfurt. The Germans, by the way, beat Barca at home. It was a tough match to watch because the blaugranas never had the ability to react and it is those "gaps" that we still see in the game that Xavi has to solve.

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So, to answer my initial question, were we all expecting this setback for Xavi and his team? - I think that at the beginning of the cycle it was expected but seeing the results that were being given I think it was not a pleasant surprise for some. With five months in charge you can't ask for much because you have a fairly competitive and decent squad because, yes, the Barcelona team, name for name, is ready to fight any club in Europe, it's not for nothing that they beat Real Madrid, the Champions League semi-finalists, 4-0 in the last clásico.

But on the other hand I have the thought that because of your name and history you are obliged to give more. Losing the way they did in the Europa League is regrettable because they had everything to advance, I think that if it is true that winning it was going to cost at least to have reached the final had to be the minimum for this Barcelona in this cup. But it was not so and now they have to leave with zero in a season that at least domestically they managed to save the furniture as it looked to be terrifying if they did not change the game and mentality.

The blaugranas have eight games left in the league, they are in second place tied with Sevilla with sixty points so anything can happen. Not to mention that both Atletico Madrid and Betis are on 57 points, so this end of the season will bring excitement and a scare or two. As they are not in any other competition the main focus should be to maintain the ranking in the table and thus ensure their direct pass to next year's Champions League.

After all that this team has had to row I think they should not allow themselves to fall below third place, if that were to happen I think the season would definitely be a resounding failure. I honestly see them comfortable in La Liga, unlike what we saw in the European cups, despite the schedule they have left, which in my opinion they have three games that look complicated (Betis, Villarreal and Real Sociedad), let's hope there are no surprises that could very well happen.

Well my people, that's all for today, I hope you liked it. Sometimes it's healthy to give our opinions here, after all that's what we're here for.
¡A big hug to all of you, see you next time!