We’ve lost Barcelona’s model of play and have to bring it back, asserts Xavi Hernandez
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has revealed that he is shocked at the lack of positional sense that the players have and that they have to bring Barcelona’s model of playback. The La Liga giants ended a three-game winless run with a 3-2 win over Elche thanks to goals from Nico Gonzalez and Gavi.
With Barcelona losing 1-0 to Real Betis and then drawing 2-2 to Osasuna, it had many fans worried about the big task that Xavi has ahead of him. The Spaniard has made a few immediate changes to the team already but at the same time, the club’s defensive frailties combined with their offensive inconsistencies have a few stunned at the lack of quality at the Camp Nou.
But despite them throwing away a two-goal lead in the second half, a late goal from Nico Gonzalez, only the second of the season, ensured that Barcelona ended a three-game winless run. Yet despite that, it saw Xavi hit out at the previous regime and coaches as he believes that the club have lost “Barcelona’s model of play”. However, the Spaniard added that they can bring it back but is shocked at the lack of positional understanding in the current squad.
"We've lost [Barcelona's] model of play and we have to bring it back. I have not been here for six years and there are things that have surprised me tactically. I wasn't here so I don't know who's responsible for it, but it's making [the job] hard for us," Xavi said, reported Goal.
"The large majority [of players] don't understand positional play. There are mechanisms that I understood from the age of 11 and we have players here that haven't worked on them."
Both of Elche’s goals came from stupid errors by Barcelona and the Spaniard admitted that he was furious after the away side equalised despite being two goals down at half-time. He also added that Barcelona definitely deserved more and need to be more responsible.
"We complicated things for ourselves. Elche survived on our errors and that cannot be the case. We have to learn and be more responsible. I was a little angry [after they equalised] because I wasn't imagining not winning the game. We deserved much more, but in the situation we're in these are three golden points,” he added.