FC Barcelona have played all of their matches for 2023 and the first team is on a break till the 29th of December, after which they will return for training to the club.
Although the team’s form has been worrisome for the last few weeks, Xavi’s men are still in contention for all the trophies this season. Barcelona’s progress to the Champions League Round of 16 is particularly notable, as the team had been unable to reach this far into the tournament for the last two years.
With some time on his hands, SPORT reports that Xavi is planning to work on several aspects to ensure that his team is able to bring some noteworthy silverware to the club by the end of this season.
Xavi sees the upcoming month of January as a highly significant period for his team, as the team can see its fate sealed in several tournaments in this time.
The Spanish Super Cup is going to take place in this month, as is the Copa del Rey. Furthermore, Barcelona will also have to improve their form in La Liga to remain in the race to defend their title.
Regarding individual players, Balde is one whom Xavi is planning to recover in particular. The fullback has lost the element of surprise this season, as he starts in quite an advanced position on the wing most of the time, thus keeping him from beating opposition players with his pace and energy.
Balde has also not been trusted by Xavi as much as he was last season. Recovering him mentally and sportingly is thus one of the main areas that Xavi is working on for now.
Another area Xavi aims to enhance moving forward is the delivery of balls to Lewandowski. The Pole has scored nearly half the number of goals he had scored by this point last year and appears less engaged with the team on the pitch.
Xavi intends for his team to create even more scoring opportunities for him, enabling him to regain his best form in 2024.
The defense also needs some work, as Barcelona have already conceded more goals at this point in the season than they did in the entire last season.
Xavi believes that his defensive line is struggling while dealing with long balls, and wants to improve this aspect of the team. Lastly, he wants several players, especially Joao Felix, to perform on a more consistent basis in the business end of the season.