A party without Messi: Barcelona returns to the great days Israel today

The best indication that Barcelona are returning to their great days is in the stands.

In almost every game of the season, the Camp Nou is full, a significant difference compared to the previous seasons, and everyone remembers the low point against Eintracht Frankfurt, when there were more German fans than locals in the stands.

82,825 spectators, this is the average crowd at Barça's home games so far, the highest this season in Europe.

More than Dortmund and Manchester United and much more than Real Madrid, and the average crowd at the Bernabeu is 56,991.

Barca fans returned in a big way, also because of the results, but no less because of the quality of football presented by Xavi's team, who has been coaching it for only 15 months.

Tonight, Barcelona will play away against Villarreal, and if they win - they will open a gap of 11 points over Real.

True, it will be with one more game, but also the 8 points advantage the Catalans have now, after 20 rounds, is huge.

It has never happened that Barcelona lost the top after leading by such a margin, 8, at this stage of the season.

Barca.

The audience returned, photo: Reuters

The next generation is already here

Everything looks great now, but that wasn't the case in October.

So, within 10 days, Barca lost the Clasico 3:1 and were beaten 3:0 by Bayern Munich, which sealed their fate of being eliminated, for the second year in a row, from the group stage of the Champions League.

But since then she has gone on a rare wave of success: 14 wins and a draw in 15 games in all competitions, with the highlight being the victory over Real in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh.

That was the moment when everything finally came together for Xavi.

Not only was it his first title as Barcelona coach - he also did it against their biggest rival, in a stunning display of football.

Since Barcelona in trance: seven consecutive victories and opening a huge gap at the top.

It will be very difficult to prevent Barcelona from a first championship since 2019 - and first since 1999 without Leo Messi.

Just to get proportions, Barca won that title 24 years ago, when for Xavi, who was 19 at the time, it was the first championship of his career!

So how did he turn the dismal and confused team he inherited from Ronald Koeman back to the top of Spanish football in just under a year?

patiently

Barcelona players celebrate, photo: AP

His first task was to let everyone understand - players and fans - that the Messi era was over.

We need to start building a new team, with a new mentality.

And Xavi had additional and not simple tasks.

For example, make it clear to the veterans - Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba - even though they used to play together, now he is the coach and they will have no concessions.

Fika retired.

The second step in Xavi's plan was to give all the credit to the young people, especially to Pedri (20) and Gabi (18), who became the leaders and symbols of the new Barca.

Ansu Fati was also supposed to be one of those, but the serious injuries prevented it.

Although the fans and club leaders wanted him to leave quickly, Xavi fought to keep Ousmane Dembele - and he was right.

The Frenchman is having the best season of his career.

Although Barcelona has always prided itself on its attacking play, the current team is built first and foremost on an iron defense, conceding only 7 league goals.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen kept a clean sheet 15 times, an event not remembered in La Liga this century.

Barca wants to end the season with four titles.

Including winning the European League.

On Thursday, it will host Manchester United in the Europa League.

For many, this game will remind of the two finals between the teams in the Champions League, when Xavi's Barca won in 2009 and 2011.

And that's exactly where Xavi the coach aims to return, with the new face of his team.

Lewandowski with Gabi and Pedri.

Barça wants 4 titles, photo: Reuters

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