The first steps do not always augur the rest of the story.
Sir Alex Ferguson lost the first of his 1,500 games at the head of Manchester United.
Pep Guardiola himself began his 4 successful years at Barcelona with a loss to modest Numancia.
It will therefore not be necessary to stop at two meetings to judge coach Xavi.
But the second is already crucial for the short-term future of the Blaugrana.
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A win and Barça would qualify
"
This first victory gives us calm, serenity,
" Xavi was satisfied last Saturday, after making a successful debut in the derby against Espanyol Barcelona (1-0).
"
But Tuesday, it will be another battle,
" warned the former Catalan midfielder.
With two defeats then two wins in the Champions League, Barça, 6 points, is left behind by Bayern Munich, 12 points, but has a wild card over Benfica, 4 points.
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Xavi on his return to the club: "
Barça cannot afford to lose or draw
"
Therefore, the trip of Lisbon to Camp Nou this Tuesday (9 p.m.) appears as a semblance of a final.
Barça will qualify for the eighth to the detriment of SLB in the event of victory, but would no longer have its destiny in its hands in the event of defeat.
With a trip to Bayern on the last day when Benfica host Dynamo Kiev, Barça would be well advised to take the fatal blow on Tuesday.
In theory, he would be a huge favorite.
In reality, it is not that obvious.
"We cannot deny our principles"
Xavi, FC Barcelona coach
Xavi is not unaware of it, he recovered a sick team, currently 6th of Liga.
He also discovered a full infirmary: Dest, Pedri, Fati, Braithwaite and Dembélé were injured this weekend, in addition to Sergio Agüero who could be forced to stop his career.
We can also cite the French defenders in distress, Clément Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti, or an unreliable Marc-André Ter Stegen in the cages.
"
We can not deny our principles,
however insisted Xavi.
We have to take more risks in attack.
We have to go to the opposing camp, dominate, keep the ball.
It's not a physical problem, it's a football problem.
"
Read also Liga: Xavi must have time to succeed as FC Barcelona coach, according to Puyol
Benfica is back in shape
With only the game against Espanyol as a sample, it is difficult to distinguish the outlines of Barça from Xavi.
He must first restore confidence to a feverish Barça who, this season, conceded 3 goals against Celta Vigo, Bayern and Benfica in the first leg.
The third in the Portuguese championship, guided by the wisp Rafa and striker Darwin Nunez, experienced turbulence in the league.
Until a thunderous victory against Braga before the truce (6-1).
The limits of Barcelona defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets on opposing counterattacks will be one to watch on Tuesday.
This is the first big challenge of Xavi's career since swapping the jersey and shorts for the track jacket.
"
I love challenges,
" Xavi retorted at a press conference on Monday, relieving the pressure by speaking of an "
opportunity
" to qualify.
A few months ago, when no PSG player wore the number 30, a knockout phase of Barça's orphan C1 was unthinkable.
The last time was in 2003-04.
Lionel Messi was not yet a professional footballer.
This is not how coach Xavi wants to write his first chapter in Catalonia.