FC Barcelona Faces Bleak Day as Xavi’s Future Hangs in the Balance

FC Barcelona experienced one of the gloomiest days of the season on Saturday, losing 3-5 at Montjuïc. This defeat leaves Barça with virtually no chances in LaLiga EA Sports and may signal the end of Xavi’s tenure with the ‘culé’ squad. Villarreal took the lead with a two-goal advantage, but Xavi stirred things up, and it bore fruit. In just over ten minutes, the Blaugrana reversed the scoreline thanks to goals from Gündogan, Pedri, and an own goal by Bailly. However, the joy of the local fans was short-lived. Villarreal’s recent arrival, Gonçalo Guedes, leveled the score again, and just when everything seemed settled, Sorloth capitalized on a defensive lapse to turn the score around in the last minute. José Luis Morales sealed the game on a counter-attack.

In addition to the controversy over Gerard Moreno’s disallowed goal due to the positional offside of the Norwegian striker, in the 91st minute, a potential penalty for Barça raised doubts again in a match where everything happened. The German midfielder from Barça struck the ball against Santi Comesaña’s arm inside the box, an action that left no doubts live to Munuera Montero, who awarded the penalty. After a brief discussion with Jaime Latre, VAR referee, the on-field referee decided to review the incident carefully. After a few seconds examining different shots and images, the referee chose to overturn the penalty as Comesaña had his back turned and the arm close to his body.

Xavi Hernandez exploded after it was not awarded and, without any scruples, addressed the ‘DAZN’ camera in the following terms: “It’s a disgrace, a disgrace!” The Terrassa-born coach, once the match ended, stuck to his stance and repeated that it was a clear penalty. “That play (the penalty) is crucial… the fourth referee tells me it’s a penalty, that it hits the elbow; I don’t want to say anything, they will sanction me,” Xavi commented on ‘DAZN’ microphones.