Although the team has faced severe criticism and Xavi has been under immense pressure lately, FC Barcelona are still in contention for all the four competitions they are participating in this season.
The Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey are going to kick-off this month, while Barcelona have also advanced to the knock-out rounds of the Champions League after a wait of two years.
They are seven points behind Real Madrid and Girona in the league, but this gap is not too big for the Catalans to lose hope of defending their league title at this point of the season.
As already reported here, Laporta and Xavi both fully believe in the team, and are hopeful that the players can bring at least two trophies to the club this season. However, for this to happen, Xavi will have to ensure that all the members of the squad contribute their best in the coming months.
As SPORT has identified, there are five players in particular who have had an underwhelming season up to now, and Xavi will have to work specifically on them to improve their performances.
Alejandro Balde
While he has been unavailable for only two games, he is clearly no longer the indisputable player for Xavi that he was last season. Xavi has played even Joao Cancelo in his position at times, as Balde has been unable to impress in defensive or offensive contributions and has only one assist up to now.
Andreas Christensen
Christensen’s contributions in the centre of the defence last season were key in Barcelona’s triumph in La Liga. However, a lack of fitness has kept the Dane from contributing as much this season, as he has completed only half of the eighteen matches in which he has played.
Xavi has put Inigo Martinez ahead of him in the pecking order but would need the Dane to get back to his best for this decisive half of the season.
Jules Kounde
The drop-off in Kounde’s performances this season has been immense. Having performed at a very high-level last season, the Frenchman has cost Barcelona several times already this season with his mistakes. As he is one of the key parts of Xavi’s defence, his recovery of form is essential for Xavi if he wants to compete for all the major trophies.
Oriol Romeu
Barcelona brought Oriol Romeu to replace Sergio Busquets in their squad, but despite the good start to life at the club, the midfielder has been disappointing in his later performances.
He is the only natural midfield pivot in the squad, and while Xavi has played him only once in the last eight games, a player of his profile will be needed frequently by Xavi in the coming months.
Lamine Yamal
Yamal is still only sixteen years of age, so a lot of expectations cannot be put on his shoulders at this point of his career. However, he is trusted highly by Xavi, and is the only player along with Gundogan to have played in all 24 Barcelona games this season.
However, he has started only two of his last nine games, and Xavi will have to prepare him for a greater role in the second half of the season.
