FC Barcelona’s Home Struggles: A Tale of Points Lost at Montjuïc
The performance of FC Barcelona this season has declined compared to the previous one. Several factors may explain why Xavi Hernandez’s team won the league “with relative ease” last season and is facing significant challenges this season. One factor is that Montjuïc is not proving to be the fortress that Camp Nou was last season.
After the draw against Granada this weekend, the Blaugrana once again dropped two points at home, this time against the second-to-last-placed team, which had only earned one point away from Los Cármenes, precisely against Almería, the bottom team in the competition. If only points earned at home were considered, Barcelona would be the fifth-placed team, trailing behind Real Madrid, Girona, Atlético de Madrid, and Athletic Club, all of whom have played one less home game than Barcelona.
Points Left at the Estadi Olímpic: 11 With this draw, Barcelona has lost 11 points at home, surpassing the nine lost in the entire last season at Camp Nou. The team has suffered three home defeats and one draw this season, whereas in the 2022/23 season, they only lost one match when the league was already mathematically secured and drew three times.
When asked in a press conference about whether Montjuïc’s stadium doesn’t impose as much on opponents as Camp Nou, Xavi Hernandez replied, “I don’t know; you should ask the opposing team. But it could be entirely possible. Playing in a full Camp Nou is different; it impresses the rival player. But I don’t think it’s the main reason.”
Goals Conceded at Home: 19 Barcelona has lost three times at the Estadi Olímpic this season—against Real Madrid, Girona, and Villarreal. Adding these losses to the recent draw, Xavi’s team has conceded 19 goals in their home stadium in La Liga. Only Villarreal, Rayo Vallecano, Granada, and Almería have conceded more at home.
This figure stands out significantly when compared to last season, as Barcelona only conceded four goals at Camp Nou throughout the entire league campaign.
