Xavi: Barcelona needs to 'wake up' and show some 'soul' if it still wants to succeed this season
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski in action during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Almeria at the Olimpic Lluis Companys stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort
MADRID — The jeers from the fans and the criticism from the media are usually a sign that things have not been going well for Barcelona.
Recent lackluster performances and poor results have left the Catalan club on the brink of a crisis. Coach Xavi Hernández apparently has had enough, and is demanding immediate changes if the team still wants to succeed this season.
Xavi didn’t spare anyone in a heartfelt news conference after yet another disappointing performance by his team to beat last-placed Almeria 3-2 in the Spanish league on Wednesday. Fans jeered Barcelona as it struggled against the only team yet to win in La Liga.
“If we aren’t going to take our chances, at least we need to be aggressive and show some soul,” he said. “Unless we run like animals we won’t get anywhere. Unless we leave our skin out there we won’t win anything. We need to wake up. It’s not a football issue, it’s about soul.”
The coach said the players need to step up and understand that the team can’t live off its past glories. He reminded everyone that this Barcelona squad has nothing to do with the talented 2010 team he played for and won numerous titles.
“We are not the Barça from 2010, we don’t have the quality of the Barça from 2010,” Xavi said. “We just don’t have that, forget about it. We don’t have that quality or that individual capability. We don’t have that.”
Xavi was teammates with Andres Iniesta, David Villa, Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué and Lionel Messi in the 2010 team that won nearly all of the major titles at the time. All of those players are gone and Barcelona is undergoing a revamp anchored on youngsters such as Gavi, Pedri and Lamine Yamal.
Barcelona's Sergi Roberto, second right, scores his side's third goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Almeria at the Olimpic Lluis Companys stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort
“Last year we won two trophies because we put our souls into it, we gave it our all. That’s my responsibility and I won’t let it happen again,” Xavi said. “In the second half (against Almeria) we did show some soul and that’s how we won the match. That bit I did like a lot.”
Barcelona won the league and the Spanish Super Cup last season. It won its Champions League group this season to advance to the knockout stage for the first time after two consecutive early eliminations. It will also compete in the Copa del Rey from January.
Beating Almeria ended Barcelona’s three-game winless streak in all competitions but still left the club four points from second-placed Real Madrid and six from Liga leader Girona. Madrid and Girona play their midweek matches on Thursday. Madrid visits Alaves and Girona is at Real Betis.
“This game with Almeria may have been very good for us,” Xavi said. "The first half was exactly what we are not supposed to do, the second was exactly what we should be doing.”
Barcelona's Sergi Roberto, centre, scores his side's third goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Almeria at the Olimpic Lluis Companys stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort
Barcelona will close its year with a friendly against Mexican club America this week in the United States. Its first match next year is on Jan. 4 at Las Palmas in La Liga.
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