For a team known for the fluidity and flair of their possession football, Barcelona FC has witnessed an undulating campaign so far in the 2023/23 football season. Their successes have made them stand out so much that a little setback draws immediate attention and scrutiny from both fans and foes!
Playing their week 19 match
against Las Palmas FC at the Gran Canaria Stadium, Barcelona FC
had a torrid time overcoming the stubborn resistance of their hosts. They won
1-2, through a penalty scored by Iker Gundogan, in the 93rd minute of extra
time. Such has been their situation this
season. Almostthe same scenario occurred with Almeria FC in week 18 and against this
season's surprise team, Girona FC. They
lost 4-2; it was never so in the past. They appear to be losing the aura that the presence of such greats as Lionel Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Sergio Busquets,
Gerard Pique, and many others brought to the team. Also,the daily struggles of overcoming their huge debts and the Financial FairplayRegulations Rules remain daunting enough to affect their on-field
activities but they still survive.
WHY
IS BARCELONA FC STUTTERING SO HARD?
They currently stand in the
third position, with 41 points, and are 7 points below joint leaders, Real Madrid
and Girona FC, yet, criticisms continue to grow about the current form of
Barcelona FC. It is such high standards they have set for themselves in the
past seasons and Coach Xavi Hernandez has received so much scrutiny about what
the issues are with his team. Truly
they've dropped points in matches that ordinarily they would win. Injuries and
loss of form to their important players such as star striker, Robert
Lewandowski, goalkeeper Andre Ter Stegen, Pedri, Joao Felix, et al have affected
their fortunes. Lewandowski has scored
just 3 goals since September 2023 and going by his standards, it is very
underwhelming. Keeper Marc Andre Ten Stegen has been out with injury for some time and his stabilizing
presence in the team cannot be ignored.
In everything, Xavi
Hernandez has received the unalloyed support of club President Joan Laporta, despite
the extreme criticism by the press!
Against Las Palmas FC, theirnew striker, the Brazilian whiz kid Victor Roque was introduced and showed
flashes of his skill, and the expectation is that he'd integrate fast to help
the stuttering Lewandowski, Joao Felix, and others. Coach Xavi though has
promised not to put him under pressure to allow him to settle.
With their current form and the
consistency of Real Madrid and Girona FC, it would be difficult for Barcelona
to retain the La Liga title. They're enjoying an interesting transition though,
with several young and enterprising players establishing themselves and
Barcelona's future looks very bright provided they're able to keep these
players in good form. Players such as
Ferran Torres, Gavi, Pedri, Victor Roque, Yamal, and Araujo are very young but have
huge experience and the current glitch looks surmountable once they maintain
their good form.
