FC Barcelona has four games left with a goal that is not very exciting as well as necessary. Achieving second place is vital for a club in low times where every million euros counts. For starters, it involves about 50 million in revenue. It is also the passport to go to Saudi Arabia to play in the Spanish Super Cup, which represents an entrance fee of seven million, one more if Barça reaches the final and two more if they lift the title. Television rights and future sponsorship agreements remain on the sidelines. All this rain of millions would undoubtedly help the planned sports planning to go more or less forward. On the sidelines travels the pride and self-esteem of a club that sees how Real Madrid has been living for a long time in a situation opposite to its own. Next year, in the absence of official status, Kylian Mbappé will join. “Come on, this week we have trained well. And we have already exhausted the quota of bad luck,” they broadcast yesterday from the sports city when they received a visit from sports vice president Rafa Yuste, a great defender of Xavi.
The coach and the sports leadership estimate that in two weeks the economic outlook will become clearer. And they will be able to go from planning to executing, with the signing of a defensive pivot being an absolute priority. A pending issue for a year when Sergio Busquets announced that he was leaving the club. Oriol Romeu and his knee problems have not covered up the former captain’s departure. Gavi’s injury, who tore his ligaments in November with the national team, also affected his defensive performance.
“It is my mistake, we have not risen to the occasion and we have not competed as we wanted. When we have used a positional defensive midfielder, like Oriol Romeu or Christensen, he has done better for us,” explained the coach, making self-criticism. The numbers say that until Gavi disappeared, Barça had conceded 12 goals in 14 games. At this point in the film there are 43 goals in 34 games. “The approach of some games was wrong, we should have restructured the midfield,” insisted a responsible Xavi.
On their list of names for the pivot is Zubimendi, from Real Sociedad, the Blaugrana’s current rival who will not be able to play because he is still suffering from his injury. His replacement will be Beñat Turrientes. Barça already knows that Real will ask for 60 million euros. An impossible figure to pay, for now. That is why the Barça club has not yet started any movements or conversations. Neither does Xavi, who now, unlike what happened in past seasons when he traveled and called players who were impossible to recruit, prefers to wait and see if the income corresponds to his wishes.
Meanwhile, much of the coach’s thoughts are on finishing as best as possible a season that will end with zero titles. Meanwhile, he celebrates that young people like Cubarsí have renewed with the club until 2027. “Héctor Fort and Marc Guiu, we hope they will be next,” he revealed. In a summer with the Euro Cup and the Olympic Games he will intervene in conversation with the Federation to discuss the participation of the youth players. And from Pedri. “We are pampering him and he feels better,” he explained.
But first Real Sociedad, which is fighting with Betis for a place in Europe. Of a total of 84 visits to Barcelona, ??only four times were they able to take the three points. The last one was last season, when they won 1-2. This season at Anoeta, Barcelona won with a goal from Araújo in stoppage time. Suffering “It was difficult for us to go out and progress. It will be a tough game,” warns Xavi. After the txuri urdin, Barça will visit the field of the already relegated Almería, will receive Rayo Vallecano and will close the season in Seville. These three teams no longer have anything at stake.