Barcelona hurt by Girona loss more than the one vs Real Madrid, president still keeping faith in Xavi

Barcelona seem crestfallen right now. Coming off a brutal 2-4 loss against Girona in the league, the Catalans are in a tough spot, seven points behind their derby rivals, and five behind Real Madrid in La Liga.

Their title defence seems to be coming to a close, and tensions are flying high in the Catalan capital, with several reports claiming that Xavi’s job is in danger.

In the previous week, it has been stated that certain Barcelona players are not happy with the coach’s work, and believe they know more than him about the game. Further, it has also been claimed that the dressing room is breaking apart slowly.

And the most recent drama coming out of the Olympic Saint Montjuic involves the squad called up for the Royal Antwerp clash.

Xavi had initially chosen to rest Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gundogan, Robert Lewandowski, and Ronald Araujo for the game.

However, president Joan Laporta ‘ordered’ him to not rest anyone after such a demoralising defeat as it would send a ‘dangerous message’ to the players, which led to Gundogan, Lewandowski, and Araujo also travelling with the team.

Barcelona crestfallen after Girona loss

New reports from Adrian Sanchez suggest that the defeat against Girona hurt Barcelona moe than the one against Real Madrid. This is because they were dominated by the now-league leaders, unlike their performance against los blancos.

The receptive pattern of Barcelona being the second-best or non-dominant in games has been concerning. While they managed to scoop out points against Real Sociedad, Athletic Club, and Porto; Girona, Real Madrid, and Shakhtar Donetsk punished their mistakes.

Laporta still believes in Xavi

Meanwhile, the report also says that while there are members of the Barcelona board that have lost their confidence in Xavi, Joan Laporta assures there are no problems between him and the coach’s camp.

There are definitely differences between them, as with any other job, but the president fully believes that Xavi is the best man for the job, and that his job is not under any threat.