His summer spending spree was validated by La Liga and his new signings, including Robert Lewandowski, hit the ground running.
The overhaul sent them back to the top of La Liga for the first time since June 2020, and the “Zavineta” (Xavi truck, as their project is affectionately known in Catalonia) picked up new passengers in a heap, at Camp Nou’s. Attendance was booming once more.
But the thorn in their side, their Champions League failure over the past seven campaigns, remains. And after last year’s humiliating group stage exit, Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat by Inter Milan put Barcelona in a precarious position.
They welcome the Italians at the Camp Nou next week, a match they will have to win, with Bayern Munich leading Group C on nine points, Inter on six, Barca on three and down futile Viktoria Plzen.
After lavish investments in Lewandowski, Rafinha and Jules Condé, among others, there is no excuse for failure – although Barcelona left the San Siro with plenty of ammunition.
On Monday, Xavi insisted that La Liga was a better competition than the Champions League, which comes down to a few key moments, small details, and had proved faster than he expected.
A goal was harshly rejected for handball by Barcelona and was denied a penalty when Inter defender Denzel Dumfries handled the field late.
In a game of few clear chances, these moments were decisive.
In a tight defense by Inter Milan, the Catalan crashed into a brick wall, leaving little room for Gavi and Rafinha.
It didn’t help that Ousmane Dembele, who has had a stellar run this season, was at his inconsistent worst, his crosses messed up. It was only when he got a right that Barcelona posed a threat.
Andre Onana was drawn out and could only deflect the ball into Pedri’s path to tap the midfielder home. However, the goalkeeper patted the ball into Ansu Fati’s hand on the way to Pedri, and after seeing it again, Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic disallowed the goal.
Barcelona left the pitch furious as Dumfries was handled in stoppage time, but this time the official did not replay the incident on the pitch-side VAR screen.
“I’m angry. It’s an injustice,” said Javi. “The referee has to come out and explain himself because I don’t understand anything. (He) didn’t want to give me an explanation after the game.”
Regardless, the points are now on the board and it turns the return to the Camp Nou into a winning game for Barcelona. Any other result would require them to beat Bayern, a team they have lost five times in a row, including the infamous 8-2 Lisbon batting line-up in 2019-20.
Barcelona were hopeful that the squad’s remodeling could lead to the European ghosts of their past being forgotten, but their trip to Milan shows that it will not be as easy as it seemed.
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