FC Barcelona got a very important victory in their last La Liga match against Alaves. Getting a win in this match was essential for Barcelona, as the Catalans are already significantly behind the league leaders Real Madrid as things stand.
Despite their superiority on paper, getting the victory against Alaves was easier said than done. The Catalans have been going through a highly uncertain period, with Xavi having announced his departure at the end of the season, and the team having missed out on two trophies in the last month.
Thus, as SPORT has noted, the victory against Alaves had a significance deeper than just the three points. Xavi has already announced his departure, but if the team had been unable to get the desired results in the last two of their matches, Laporta would have been under immense pressure to dismiss Xavi even earlier, a scenario that he has never wanted.
However, the victory in Vittoria made things easier for everyone at the club, and the relatively easy fixtures that Barcelona have coming up mean the Catalans are hopeful that Xavi can get the required results for the rest of the season.
Xavi’s decision to remain at Barcelona till the end of the season was accepted by Laporta not only because of the former’s stature at the club, but also because the latter believed Xavi was the right man for the job on the Barcelona bench.
With the victory against Alaves, Laporta left the Mendizorroza in very high spirits. The club wants to avoid a situation similar to the one faced by the former manager Ronald Koeman, where the head coach is dismissed and the dressing room is taken over by Rafa Marquez till the end of the season, at all costs.
Even with the points differential, Laporta believes that it is not impossible to win the league this season. Real Madrid will be prioritizing the Champions League when it restarts, and Barcelona will also get some of its most important players back from the infirmary. Thus, even with Xavi’s departure confirmed, Barcelona can still end this season in a strong manner.
