A recent report suggests that Barcelona’s head coach, Xavi, is losing the support of certain players within the team’s dressing room. The Catalan giants suffered a significant setback in the Supercopa de Espana final against Real Madrid, enduring a 4-1 defeat after Vinicius Junior’s first-half hat-trick. Barcelona’s struggles extend beyond this loss, with a series of draws causing them to fall eight points behind surprise league leaders Girona at the midway point of the season, though they have a game in hand, and seven points behind second-placed Madrid.
According to ESPN, there is growing discontent among some Barcelona players regarding the team’s style of play, with questions arising about Xavi’s approach. This dissatisfaction reportedly predates the defeat to Madrid, with another source of concern being Xavi’s perceived favoritism toward certain players in the dressing room.
Despite Xavi’s criticisms of the team’s character during challenging moments, he has consistently expressed confidence in his players’ ability to rebound and deliver positive results as expected by the club’s supporters and management.
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Xavi’s contract with Barcelona runs until the summer of 2025, providing him with just under 18 months to build on the convincing title win achieved last season, where the club finished 10 points clear of Madrid. Notably, Xavi has been unable to replicate the same success in European competitions. Last season, Barcelona exited the Champions League at the group stage and faced elimination by Manchester United in a two-legged play-off for entry into the Europa League’s last 16.
This season, while Barcelona topped their group ahead of Porto, they faced setbacks with away losses to Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp, the latter making their Champions League debut. Accumulating only 12 points out of a possible 18 raised concerns. Additionally, questions have arisen about the effectiveness of Robert Lewandowski as the 35-year-old striker has struggled to maintain his prolific form from his early days at Barcelona, prompting some to question the wisdom of awarding him a four-year contract upon his arrival from Bayern Munich.