Chaos at Camp Barça: Xavi’s Era Takes a Grim Turn After Villarreal Defeat

In a disheartening turn of events for FC Barcelona, they suffered a 3-5 defeat against Villarreal at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium, marking one of the gloomiest days in Xavi Hernandez’s tenure as the Blaugrana coach. In 2024, the Catalans bid farewell to the Supercopa de España, Copa del Rey, and face an uphill battle in LaLiga, trailing ten points behind Real Madrid and eight behind Girona after enduring their worst home defeat in the domestic competition since the 1960s.

As in recent LaLiga matches, controversial refereeing decisions were abundant. Besides the disallowed goal from Gerard Moreno due to offside by Norwegian forward Alexander Sørloth, there was a potential penalty in the 91st minute for Barcelona, not given by the referee, involving a handball by Santi Comesaña. İlkay Gündoğan and Jorge Cuenca also played a part in a closely scrutinized play.

The German midfielder struck the ball inside the penalty area towards the goal defended by Filip Jörgensen. Following a series of rebounds, the ball hit Jorge Cuenca’s hand. Although the Barcelona bench called for a penalty, the referee did not point to the spot, and VAR did not intervene.

In ‘Carrusel Deportivo,’ guided by ‘Cadena SER’ referee Iturralde González, an incident that left Barcelona dissatisfied was analyzed: “In that play, if İlkay Gündoğan’s shot goes directly into the goal and hits Jorge Cuenca’s hand, it is a penalty. What happens is that the ball rises and goes to the hand after a rebound and a bounce on the ground. For this reason, it is not a handball. If the ball had gone directly, it would be a penalty, but that handball is not punishable,” explained Iturralde.