Trailing Real Madrid through 15 points in La Liga after going out of the Champions League within the group degree and the cup within the ultimate 16 might usually amount to a complete-blown crisis at Barca, no matter whether or not they go on to win the Europa League in May.
Yet -and-a-1/2 years of relative mediocrity have vaporised once-high expectations whilst a circulate of large-name departures, consisting of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain, have hammered home the stark truth of the club's economic crisis.
Xavi Hernandez truly benefited from the ones reduced expectations for the duration of the first few weeks of his tenure, whilst glimpses of progress have been crowded out by means of a trudge of uninspiring performances, the like of which could no longer have looked out of area underneath his predecessor Ronald Koeman.
"It's proving more difficult than we concept," Xavi said in December.
Like Koeman, although, Xavi loved a wave of goodwill early on and nonetheless does, with guide and optimism provided to him greater without difficulty by using fans because such a lot of hope he can be the ideological successor to Pep Guardiola.
But in current weeks there was suitable motive for a unexpected surge of exhilaration at Barca, who take a seat fourth in La Liga in advance of Sunday's recreation at thirteenth-located Elche.
When Xavi took fee in November, Barcelona were ninth, a leaky defence made all of the more pricey with the aid of a stuttering attack.
With thirteen games left, they'll be 0.33 in the event that they win their sport in quit Real Betis and it's miles nevertheless no longer unbelievable they finish second via overhauling Sevilla, who are nine factors in advance, having played a game more.
Barca have not misplaced a match in 90 mins considering the fact that being overwhelmed with the aid of Bayern Munich on December 8. They have gained their last 3 games in opposition to Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Napoli, the latter a particularly wonderful four-2 win in Naples that despatched them through to the Europa League zone-finals.
In every of those video games they scored 4 desires, the primary time Barca have scored four in 3 consecutive matches since 2017, when Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez were responsible for 11 of the 12.
