Saturday's dramatic loss to Real Madrid will hurt Xavi's side hard, but there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic going forward
So that's the season over then, right?! Barcelona lost El Clasico to Real Madrid on Saturday in the most narrow of circumstances, as they failed to track Jude Bellingham into the box — handing him an easy tap-in to win the game in stoppage-time. That goal came 20 minutes after a 30-yard screamer from Bellingham, a shot that was comfortably within Marc-Andre ter Stegen's eyeline, but was hit with such venom and just enough backspin that one of the world's best goalkeepers couldn't get near it.
Those two moments have, apparently, ended La Liga's title race before it really begun, with Madrid now four points clear of the Blaugrana at the top of the table. Except, they really haven't — not yet, at least. Clasico defeats always feel worse than any other for whomever ends up on the wrong end of things. Even early in the season, they function as a means of comparison.
In reality, though, there was little to separate the two sides this time around. Xavi got his tactics right for Barca, and he admitted after the game that he felt good about the performance. They were a 93rd-minute goal away from a respectable point. Sometimes, it just comes down to the other team having one world-beating player. There is no shame in that.
And more broadly, this season is far from over. While the points dropped will hurt and the social media chaos will serve as a means of distraction, Barca are still very much in this. There is a time and a place to panic; the Blaugrana aren't there yet.
GOAL takes a look at why, exactly, heads should remain cool in Catalunya…
GettyClasico largely under control
It's hard to criticise Barcelona after their performance in the Clasico, as they got almost everything right. In fact, they were quite comfortably the better team for most of the contest. Xavi pieced together a competitive XI from a paper-thin squad, and was innovative enough to give his side the upper hand in the early goings.
The deployment of Joao Cancelo as a midfielder, combined with Gavi's shift in the centre of the park and Alejandro Balde's more defensive set-up, had Madrid rattled. Barca led 1-0 after 10 minutes, and had Fermin Lopez's shot gone the right side of the post, would have carried a 2-0 advantage after 20. They held Vinicius Jr to footballing anonymity, kept Rodrygo quiet, and practiced the dark arts effectively enough to ensure that Bellingham was never comfortable on the ball.
Things turned quite swiftly once the England midfielder's bolt from the blue whizzed past Ter Stegen, but Xavi was mostly correct in his summation that his side could have quite comfortably taken three points from the contest.
There are no points handed out for respectable hours of football, but this was not a catastrophic loss by any means.
AdvertisementGetty Images Injury crisis must end soon
This Clasico was always going to be trickier than most for Barca. Injuries can happen to any team, at any time, but Xavi must feel particularly hard done by given the players he couldn't call upon this time around.
Pedri and Frenkie de Jong narrowly missed out on making the matchday squad after prolonged spells on the sidelines, while Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha were only fit enough to come off the bench — and didn't really look physically ready when they did. Factor in, too, the continued absence of Jules Kounde and that Lamine Yamal, Joao Felix and Gavi have all picked up knocks in recent weeks, and this looked a remarkably thin Barca side.
It is to their credit, then, that they were able to stay in the game for so long — especially given their midfield corps. While there is undoubtedly talent in the Ilkay Gundogan-Gavi-Fermin Lopez trio, it pales in comparison to the Toni Kroos-Aurelien Tchouameni-Federico Valverde midfield that Madrid were able to field. Further up the pitch, Lewandowski would certainly have been backed to finish the pair of half-chances that Ferran Torres missed.
Madrid aren't free of injuries themselves, but they have learned to cope without both Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois, who are both likely out for the season after suffering ACL injuries in August. In contrast, Barca have been forced into chopping and changing on a weekly basis of late, and though the Clasico came too soon for some, logic dictates that this crisis will be over soon and Xavi will be able to select a more settled line-up going forward.
GettyXavi will find his best XI
In truth, Barca haven't really been at full-strength all season. As far back as in their season opener against Getafe, Gavi was unavailable, while Raphinha got sent off in the first half. Andreas Christensen swiftly picked up a knock of his own, while Cancelo and Felix hadn't even been signed yet.
Until he has a fully-fit squad to pick from, it is difficult to evaluate Xavi's performance so far this season. This squad is full of talent, especially in attacking and central midfield areas, yet the manager has been forced to shoehorn players in at odd positions or have individuals lacking in fitness play for too long. Torres, for example, is not a natural striker, yet has been asked to play up front. The same can be said for Gavi, who has turned in a series of admirable performances in a deep-lying role that he really shouldn't have to play.
Give the manager a complete squad — and the luxury of a full campaign to tweak things — and this side could be far more dangerous.
Getty Images Plenty more development to come
Xavi has a unique age profile in his squad. There's plenty of experience to be found here, with Lewandowski, Gundogan, Oriol Romeu, Marcos Alonso and Ter Stegen all north of 30. By this point, De Jong, Felix and Kounde are all veterans of the game, too — despite only being in their mid-20s.
Outside of that, though, this is a pretty young unit. Gavi, Pedri and Balde are constantly learning and evolving. Yamal, at 16, will improve with every game. Fermin, meanwhile, has bags of potentia. The manager himself, too, is still relatively inexperienced in his coaching career, with just two years of top-level European management under his belt.
Xavi has spoken repeatedly about the steady improvement of his side, and has cut a calm figure in press conferences. This is a coach who knows that his team can win, but is also aware that they have to improve. Perhaps more importantly, though, he trusts his squad to do so.
