At the press conference before the game against Almeria on Saturday, Xavi was asked a question that was a kind of prophecy: "Do you think that the expulsion from the Europa League can affect you in other settings?", asked a reporter of THE ATHLETIC, and the coach of Barca answered: "We will try not to. We need Make a switch in your head, remember that we are in a good place in the league and continue with the same dynamism. It's a difficult field, but we have to win."
Barca did not win.
And not only did she not win, she lost 1:0 in one of her weakest games in recent years.
During 90 minutes, Robert Lewandowski and his teammates kicked the frame only once, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen conceded an early goal, and at the end the Almeria players celebrated their first ever victory over Barcelona.
Instead of opening a gap of 11 points from Real Madrid at least until the game against Atlético, Barca kept the advantage at 8 and it became 7 after 1:1 in the Madrid derby.
"It's very annoying because we could have used this day to take another step forward," concluded Xavi, aware of the magnitude of the miss.
That question at the press conference was not taken off the cuff.
One of the most prominent memories left by Barca last season was the decline after being kicked out of Europe, and there was a question whether it could happen to them again.
So she reached the return match in the quarter-finals of the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt with a 1:1 from the first game in Germany and with a streak of 15 games without a loss.
He turned the bad start of the season into dreams of titles, and Frankfurt was supposed to be a stop on the way.
Instead, Barcelona lost 3:2, was kicked out of Europe and lost its way.
Four days later, they lost at home to Cadiz, later they also succumbed to Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal, lost points against Getafe and finished in second place, 13 points behind the champion Real.
Padre.
A heavy blow to Barcelona, photo: AFP
Bring back the passion
One of the conclusions that this decline gave rise to is that Barcelona must find a suitable replacement for Pedri.
The young midfielder was injured in the same match against Frankfurt, was replaced at halftime, and without him Xavi's team did not look the same.
And here, even now, Pedri is injured.
Against Manchester United, he came on in the 41st minute, and without him it's not the same again.
Barca tried to add a player to fill the gap, but it didn't happen.
Without Federico, Barca lacks the creativity needed against tough defenses like Almeria's and it was no coincidence that they recorded 47 crosses - their highest amount since 2006. The thing is that this time, unlike last year, it's not just Federi.
Ousmane Dembele was joined this week by Robert Lewandowski, who, according to the club's announcement, will only return when he is fully fit.
"We noticed our downfall after the expulsion from the Europa League," admitted Xavi, "but to win the Spanish championship you need to bring back the passion and enthusiasm."
Real players, yesterday in the final training, photo: AFP
And there's nothing like a Clasico in a cup semi-final to do that.
The second consecutive expulsion from the Europa League at such an early stage did hurt the club - morally and financially - but the situation is not bad at all.
Barca still has a 7-point lead at the top, they won the Super Cup with a performance in the final against Real Madrid, and they are still on track to win two more domestic titles.
Tonight she must show everyone, and especially Carlo Ancelotti's team, that she has no problems, and that if she has - she has learned from last year and is able to overcome them all.
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