Defensive Woes Plague Xavi’s Barcelona: A Far Cry from Last Season’s Solidity

FC Barcelona clinched LaLiga last season with a common thread: dominance in both penalty areas. Xavi’s Barcelona, expected to be an attacking powerhouse, turned out to be primarily known for its defensive resilience.

The team showcased competitiveness, especially through a defensive structure that often involved four midfielders, resulting in impressive outcomes. However, that same defensive solidity has eluded Barcelona this season, reflecting in their current standings. Few statistics highlight this shift as starkly as the fact that Barcelona has already conceded the same number of goals in LaLiga this season as they did throughout the entire previous campaign: 29. By matchday 22 in the 2022-23 season, Barcelona had only let in 7 goals in LaLiga.

This season, the defensive performance is a far cry from those numbers, with 29 goals conceded already. These figures sharply contrast with Real Madrid, leading the competition with a mere 14 goals against. Against Villarreal, Barcelona conceded five goals, emblematic of the team’s defensive struggles. Barcelona urgently needs to staunch the defensive bleeding to regain competitiveness.