Xavi Hernández turned 44 yesterday. It was not, professionally, a happy anniversary. In his retina, the images of the defeat in Bilbao. To his credit, the pride of checking the response of his young bettors. On the debit, the income statement, which indicates that the team has lost two titles in ten days and that to have something to put in their mouths they have to stage a stellar comeback in the League or surprise the staff by winning the Champions League. Right now they are companies that do not seem likely taking into account the situation of the squad and the club. “We are under construction,” Xavi often repeats like a mantra. Weeks ago that phrase sounded a little hollow because he has already been in office for more than two years and because the entity spent the money it did not have to bring in reinforcements that, in general terms, have not worked like clockwork. However, since his tirade to the locker room in December during the Almería game, Xavi has thrown off his ties. He has opted for a more signature team, with even more playing field for the kids, and has had no qualms about sitting João Félix or replacing Lewandowski on a recurring basis.
“This Barça has a future, whether I am the coach or not,” stated the Barcelona coach, who later reiterated: “It is the beginning of something important, whether I am the coach or not.”
An important message. Will Xavi be on the Blaugrana bench next season? Right now it's a mystery. He has a contract until 2025 with the option of one more season. He renewed his contract in September, but in a large and unstable club anything can happen. A few days ago, the one from Terrassa said that, without titles, the normal thing, as the law of football, is that he will not continue. In San Mamés he clarified it a little. “Without titles or without the level of competitiveness he may not continue. This is Barça and we have to win.”
Two centrifugal forces come face to face in Barcelona. On the one hand, the construction of a young, fresh and bright project headed by the jewel Lamine Yamal and also formed by Pau Cubarsí, Héctor Fort, Fermín López or Marc Guiu, right now ahead of Vitor Roque. If we add to them the still very young Balde, Gavi or Pedri plus a possible return in the future of Ansu Fati or Eric Garcia (on loan), the medium-term outlook is promising. But on the other hand there are the club's emergencies, financially distressed and with the urgent need to win titles to earn more money. Levers and more or less imaginative and last-minute solutions cannot be maintained over time without tangible and more conventional income to put in your mouth. Without forgetting that Laporta pointed out at the time that, with him at the helm, “losing would have consequences.” The president went down to the door of the locker room in Bilbao and tried to cheer up a disconsolate Lamine Yamal, affected by the two chances he missed in the cathedral, but at the end of the season Laporta will take stock.
Xavi knows this and is also already accumulating wear and tear in a position that burns a lot. Legends like Guardiola and Luis Enrique left during good times. The one from Santpedor lasted four seasons. The one from Gijón, three. At the end of this season, Xavi will have two and a half campaigns.
Given the uncertainty of his future, the coach would have decided to at least plant seeds. There are examples in the past in the club. Like Louis van Gaal's. In his first stage he won two Leagues in a row, but he also left for the Blaugrana future a litter formed by Xavi himself, Puyol, Valdés and Gabri. In his second season, which lasted just a few months, the Dutchman gave Andrés Iniesta his debut. Who knows if in a few years everyone will look back and admire Xavi's initiative to give minutes to 16 and 17 year old footballers.
But the present is complex. The team has had to weather countless injuries. With Balde's, up to 14 footballers have already passed through the infirmary. A non-stop setbacks that has affected the consistency and continuity of the team.
A Barça that does not have an excess of mentality and that has already conceded 41 goals in 31 games. In the entire previous campaign he received 44 in 54 games. At the rate it is going, next week will already exceed the number of goals against all of last year.
