Barcelona assistant coach boasts of a flawless record in Xavi’s absence

As Barcelona’s 2023/24 La Liga season got off to a rocky start against Getafe in a scrappy game filled with drama and arguments, matters went from bad to worse when Xavi Hernandez was sent off for his protests from the touchline.

A subsequent two-game ban for the head coach meant assistant manager and trusted brother Oscar Hernandez presided over the dugout in the second game against Cadiz.

While usually not at the forefront, or not as highly-vocal, Oscar always seems like the perfect foil for his brother in the dugout, seemingly acting as a calming presence but also heavily involved in the technical process as and when needed.

Before the clash against Cadiz, many a fan would have braced for another difficult fixture against a team who also like to play with a deep, defensive setup and restrict any space for their opponents.

On top of that, Barcelona’s record against them has not been the best since they were promoted back to the top flight, and has only just started improving.

For large parts of the game, it was a tough ask for the Catalans to find space and generate big attacking threats, but the side showed good patience to eventually come away with an assured 2-0 win.

And this meant Oscar Hernandez has set some very impressive precedents whenever he has had to deputise for his brother.

Oscar Hernandez keeps winning

The Cadiz game was the third time Oscar has had to step into the dugout in place of Xavi.

While the first game was a resounding 6-0 win, it was merely a pre-season fixture against Inter Miami, now the home of Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, when Xavi could not travel to the USA due to visa issues.

The next time Oscar would take charge was when Xavi was forced to sit out Barcelona’s game against Valencia in La Liga last season, after he accumulated five yellow cards, leading to a one-game suspension.

In another very tense and scrapy game, the Blaugrana picked up a 1-0 win despite being a man down for most of the second half.

In the two official games, the Catalans have thus scored thrice and conceded none, both leading to victories.

Naturally, Xavi is involved behind the scenes, but managing the game in real time is still a big ask and his brother has risen to the occasion adeptly so far.

Oscar Hernandez now has a chance to extend that record against Villarreal on Sunday, when he faces the Yellow Submarine led by former Barcelona boss Quique Setien on their turf.

While fans will not want Xavi to miss out any more action after losing his temper, they can probably rest assured that Oscar is capable of taking his instructions on board and implementing them well.

Runs in the family, eh?