It is safe to say that Barcelona have not enjoyed the best of starts to 2023. The league leaders were held to a 1-1 draw by local rivals Espanyol on Saturday – a result that greatly affected head coach Xavi Hernandez.
The Spanish tactician has made no efforts to hide his frustration either. Shortly after the draw, he made the Barcelona players go through training on New Year’s day to correct the mistakes.
According to SPORT, that is not the only punishment Xavi has in mind for his players. Given the performance against Espanyol, the Barcelona coach has red-marked the upcoming Copa Del Rey game against Intercity.
Although Intercity ply their trade in the third division of Spanish football, Xavi does not want to take any risks and puts great emphasis on this game. This is because Barça have already been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League and Xavi has no desire to lose the possibility of winning another competition.
Therefore, Xavi’s idea is to field a strong eleven against Intercity this midweek. So, there is a possibility that a number of his regulars take the field in the cup match with rotation likely to be kept at a minimum.
And if the players underperform again, they could be given another ‘punishment’, and may even be asked to train during the upcoming Three Kings Feast festival on January 6.
Three Kings Feast is one of the most prominent festivals in Spain, but if Barcelona struggle in this midweek contest, the players may not be given the luxury to celebrate the day.
Keeping in mind Barcelona also have a game against Atletico Madrid on January 8, it appears Xavi is determined to identify his strongest eleven and bounce back quickly following the draw with Espanyol.
The Catalans, though, are still leading the league thanks to their superior goal difference. But with Real Madrid breathing down their necks, there is no room for error for the Blaugrana as they look to maintain their top spot on the table.