Based on recent examples, it is becoming clear that Barcelona are doing things differently. Xavi no longer seems to be as lenient as he was in the start of the 2023/24 campaign. Instead, the Barcelona coach is now willing to take extreme measures as he sees fit to do so.
Players that were previously ‘untouchable’ are no longer safe from being excluded. The coach showcased this in the latest victory against UD Las Palmas as well. Not too long into the second half, the Barça coach replaced Robert Lewandowski from the team.
However, it became apparent even before kickoff that Xavi is capable of such things. Proving previous reports to be true, the coach left Joao Felix on the bench at the start of the game. In his stead, Ferran Torres was the one to take the field as a starter.
Now, as SPORT highlights it, Joao Felix has been overtaken by Torres across the board. Both in terms of the trust that Xavi Hernandez has in either of them as well as through statistics and numbers as well. In fact, Felix is no longer the second top scorer of the team either.
Ferran Torres, following his 7th goal of the season against Las Palmas, is now beyond Felix. The Portuguese star has 6 goals across all competitions, but he falls behind Ferran’s 7 goals, despite the Spaniard also having far less minutes to perform.
While the Portuguese forward on loan from Atletico Madrid has his days, he is still inconsistent. Torres, on the other hand, provides Barcelona with sustainability and a consistent rate of performances. He is arguably also the most efficient Barcelona forward in front of goal with the chances that he receives.
With the next La Liga match now on hold until the end of January, Barça turn their attention elsewhere. Barbastro will arrive as the first test, in the Copa Del Ray. Then comes the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. For that competition, Xavi’s decision between Torres and Felix could be very telling regarding a lot of things.
