A round-up of the latest Barcelona news and rumors
FC Barcelona 3-2 Almería: Three much-needed points - FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona made very heavy work indeed of seeing off bottom-of-the-table and winless Almería on Wednesday night in a game where anything other than three points would have presented Liga frontrunners Girona and Real Madrid with the opportunity to further widen the gap between themselves and the defending champions.
Xavi: 'If we're not taking chances, at least we need soul' - FC Barcelona
Raphinha once and Sergi Roberto twice scored the goals that earned three crucial points on Wednesday at home to Almería, but it was by no means an easy win against the side that's bottom of the table. And Xavi Hernández was anything but happy with what he witnessed, especially in the first 45 minutes.
2023 with a century of Barça goals - FC Barcelona
The Barça fans have enjoyed no less than 101 goals from Xavi's side in 2023, a figure reached thanks to strikes from Raphinha and Sergi Roberto (2) in the win against Almería at the Estadi Olímpic. A century and all three points - two reasons to celebrate ahead of 2024.
50th appearance for Andreas Christensen - FC Barcelona
Andreas Christensen is a key component of Xavi's defensive plans. Last season, he very quickly adapted to his new surroundings and it wasn't long before he was being regarded as a regular starter. That's continued into the present campaign and in the last league game of the year, against Almería at the Estadi Olímpic, he got to celebrate his 50th appearance for the team, playing the first 45 minutes of a 3-2 win.
The squad for Dallas - FC Barcelona
Next stop Dallas! After beating Almería 3-2, the FC Barcelona squad are now off from a pre-Christmas hop across the Atlantic to take on Club América of Mexico at the Cotton Bowl Stadium.
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The defender is looking ahead
Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo sent out a message after the team’s 3-2 win over Almeria on Wednesday in La Liga.
The center-back who was far from his best against Almeria, and made a couple of costly mistakes, is happy to finish the year with a win.
Araujo also says the team will “return with everything” next year after a shaky end to 2023.
“We finished the last game of the year with a victory, even though the last results were not the best,” he wrote on social media.
“I am convinced and confident that good results will come, thanks to everyone who always supports us. Now it’s time to rest for a few days and return with everything in 2024.”
Acabamos el último partido del año con una victoria, a pesar de que los últimos resultados no fueron los mejores. Estoy convencido y confiado en que los buenos resultados llegarán, gracias a todos los que siempre nos apoyan. Ahora toca descansar unos días y regresar con todo en… pic.twitter.com/1NrkpdDLum
The result does mean that Barcelona avoid losing further ground in the title race, with Girona away at Real Betis later today and Real Madrid due to face Alaves.
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Worst performance of the season
It’s clear that Barcelona’s problems are manifest and many, and they can’t all be sorted with the waving of a magic wand.
However, Xavi can’t hide behind any more excuses after one of the worst performances from the Catalan giants in recent years.
Credit to Almeria for their efforts. La Liga’s bottom club played their own game and weren’t overawed by the hosts which, frankly, says it all for me.
Montjuic clearly isn’t Camp Now but Barca should still have made it a fortress by now. At present it’s anything but, and the deeper we go into the season, the worse the performances seem to be getting.
If there’s one positive from the game it’s that surely things can’t get any worse than this?
The slightly improved second half does not in any way make up for a first 45 that saw the team rightly booed off the pitch.
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No player emerged with credit in a half that will have seen Xavi tearing his hair out. Barca were ragged in possession and were often unable to string two passes together - something that is their stock-in-trade.
Why is Robert Lewandowski even on the pitch these days?
Surely the past few matches have shown everyone that a spell on the sidelines is necessary. The Polish international can’t even put away the most simple of chances at present and yet his inflated transfer fee and status within the team seems to dictate that he has to be kept on the pitch so the club can save face.
He wasn’t the only player guilty of not being able to get the basics right yet again - Joao Felix, I’m looking at you.
The relief when Sergi Roberto bagged what turned out to be the winner told us much, but I don’t recall anything else of note in the game worth commenting on.
Photo by David S.Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
When Leo Baptistao silenced the Lluis Companys just before half-time, it was the 20th goal Barca had conceded this season. In the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign they only let in 19.
Struggles against the likes of Cadiz, Celta, Alaves and Sevilla at home were again replicated in all areas of the pitch, and to that end, Xavi again must take his share of the responsibility.
Even he can’t legislate for just how bad some of his players were, however.
Collectively, it was another absolute horror show and with January around the corner, there are cogent arguments for the club to move a few players on.
That won’t happen of course, but there needs to be some sort of deterrent put in place to give those players who are clearly coasting through games at the moment a kick up the backside.
It’s incredibly embarrassing for a club of Barca’s stature to be brought down to such a level by a team that still haven’t won a match this season.
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It’s not the first time Alba has taken advantage of his time off from MLS to visit Barcelona. He was previously in attendance as a spectator as the Catalans defeated Atlético de Madrid 1-0. He sat alongside Barcelona’s injured players, Marcos Alonso and Marc-André ter Stegen.
How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), Viaplay Sports 1 (UK), Sports18 (India), SuperSport (Nigeria), Movistar LaLiga (Spain), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), LaLigaTV (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following a disappointing draw away to Valencia at the weekend, Barcelona return home for their final La Liga game of 2023 as they welcome bottom of the table Almería to the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Barça will be paid a lot of money to travel to the United States right after this game for a pre-Christmas friendly against Club Amería at the home of the Cowboys in Dallas before they go into the holiday break, but the clash against Almería is the last one that actually counts for something.
And in fact, given the current circumstances, it counts for everything. Barça are in desperate need of some good news after two horrible losses to Girona and Antwerp and an incredibly frustrating night at Mestalla where Barça should have won comfortably but missed big chances in every way imaginable and allowed the hosts to come back and steal a point on the night.
Xavi Hernández might be safe in his job until the end of the season unless things really take a turn for the worse, but if the coach wants to remain in charge beyond this campaign then he must guide Barça to a historic comeback in La Liga and a great run in Europe and the domestic cup competitions.
And if there’s ever a good opportunity to get an easy win to get back on track, it’s this one. Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows that I try to be as respectful as possible to every opponent Barça play, because football has evolved to place where teams don’t need to be talented to be good.
That being said, Almería are bad. Like, BAD bad. They are off to one of the worst starts in La Liga history with only 5 points from 17 games and are yet to win a game in the league this term. They were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by a Fourth Division team — that will incidentally face Barça in the next round in a few weeks — and are dealing with a number of injuries to some of their best players.
Their defense has conceded nearly 40 goals already and they don’t know how to keep clean sheets or have a real defensive structure, and even a Barça side struggling mightily to score goals should have an easy time finding the net against this Almería team.
But creating the chances might be a problem as Barça will be missing Frenkie de Jong through suspension and Pedri through injury, so it’ll be up to Ilkay Gündogan and the two Joãos, Cancelo and Félix, to provide enough service to help Robert Lewandowski get back to his best. No other team will be as easy to attack as Almería, and Barça should have a field day.
Expecting a win in this one is more than reasonable, and a good performance should come along as well to help start building some confidence.
The midfield absences make me very nervous, but there’s just no way Barça will be the first team to lose to the worst team in the league this season, right? RIGHT? Yes, right: 2-0 to the good guys. I think?
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Eric García is doing bits with league-leading Girona FC. He’s a key starter for the Catalan outfit, surprisingly on top of La Liga. And to think FC Barcelona did their best to loan him out last summer.
It’s worth asking why García went from a reserve defender who was mocked at times for being shaky and unreliable, to a key cog in a team coming out of nowhere to lead La Liga.
He’s found the ideal place for him, both in terms of his role in the team and the type of system they play. And drawing the majority of the plaudits is the manager, Michel, who has squeezed every bit of power out of his relatively cheaply assembled squad.
García’s passing and vision has always been his strong suit, but Michel praised his anticipation, speed, and intuition. He’s a “blessing” and a “top centerback” according to his new manager.
That situation has drawn unflattering comparisons to Xavi’s handling of Barcelona. He led them to La Liga’s crown last season, but this season, his team have struggled to keep pace. The fact that a Girona player (Oriol Romeu) was transferred to Barcelona and proceeded to drop a level also doesn’t paint a flattering picture for Xavi’s management.
But is it really about the manager? Or is it just that he’s had a change of scenery and a renewed sense of confidence? Not to mention, he’s only 22. It’s natural that he will keep improving for a few years.
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Although Barca want to keep Xavi for now, there have been thoughts about who could replace the former midfielder in the hotseat.
Barcelona Atletic boss Rafa Marquez is emerging as a clear candidate, particularly if there was an abrupt departure and Xavi walked out before the end of the campaign.
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