Barcelona lost the first game under Xavi as the main coach. The fans were happy with the return of the legend but it seems that he can’t change anything this season.
The squad and strategy of Xavi Hernandez
Xavi is missing many important players due to injury. Fati got a muscle injury last week and he will be missed for many weeks. Xavi is used to the injuries, so it’s not news of the coach. The mentality and strategy of the team under Xavi is very simple. Xavi wants to play full dominance and Tiki Taka with the current Barca squad. He is the top and brilliant player under Pep Guardiola. It’s not a surprise that he wants to play with the same mentality. Many coaches tried to put a new strategy in the team but they all failed. That’s why Xavi wants to do the same as Pep Guardiola did. Experts believe that it’s impossible to play full dominance on the field with the current squad of the club.
Decision for the starting line-up
The coach of the team decided to start the game against Betis with three attacking line players. Memphis Depay was playing from the left wing. Coutinho was the one switching positions along with Memphis Depay. These two players were brilliant in the attacking line but they can’t fully replace the main striker. The center striker is very important in the absence of Lionel Messi. Keep in mind that Messi was playing a lot in the position of the attacking midfielder and center forward. The last center forward was Eto’o and Thiery Henry. Ansu Fati could be something close to Eto’o for the new era of Barcelona. At the same time, Fati is prone to the injuries from the previous season. It seems that he won’t be back to normal soon, so the team has to find a solution. It was visible against Real Betis where the team lost with one goal difference.