Xavi's Barça is no better than Koeman's Barça

Barça's improvement has not been completed as Joan Laporta had hoped. The president, who was keen to return to Real Madrid, surely did not want to be 15 points ahead with 13 games to go before the end of the league. Nor a step above in Europe. He takes solace in the fact that both teams were eliminated from the Copa del Rey. 

Xavi's league numbers start on 20 November 2021 in his first game against Espanyol where Barça win 1-0. After that match, Xavi's side have beaten Villarreal (1-3), Elche (3-2), Mallorca (0-1), Alavés (0-1), Atlético de Madrid (4-2) and Valencia (1-4). Seven wins, four draws and one defeat. 23 goals scored and 13 conceded for a total of 25 points from 12 games. 

Before that, Koeman left the team with five wins, five draws and three defeats. In 13 games he had 20 points. 

In Europe things have not gone any better. It is true that Xavi has inherited the numbers from Koeman's era, but he had a shot at reaching the last 16 against Benfica or Bayern Munich and was unable to win a single game. What's more, their only Europa League game has ended in a draw against Napoli. 

Koeman played four group games and beat Dinamo 1-0. Two heavy defeats against Benfica (3-0) and Bayern (0-3) left the team badly shaken in Europe's top competition. 

In the Copa del Rey, Xavi won the first match against Linares (1-2) but lost in extra time against Athletic and was eliminated. In the Super Cup he did not fare any better and lost against Real Madrid in Arabia in that memorable match where Barcelona fans claimed that they were moral winners because of their good play. 

To all this, we have to add the players that Xavi Hernández is counting on in his new period. Barça has only had to adjust salaries to get around the pressures of La Liga with the wage bill because the money to sign has come from loans from third parties.  The debt is increasing, but their assets are important players.

Dani Álves, Ferran Torres, Adama Traoré and Aubameyang are the most important arrivals, while the main departures have been those of Agüero and Coutinho.

The summary of this X-ray is that Koeman left Barça 12 points behind Real Madrid in La Liga and with options in the Champions League. Xavi has the team 15 points behind their eternal rivals and out of the Champions League and the Cup. The former Barça and Spanish national team midfielder has played more decisive matches, but he has also had a stronger squad to face those games. 

The exciting Barça that the fans expect is still a sick man who has not yet been taken to the plant. The debt is still in the millions and the squad is unbalanced. Their challenge is to reach the Champions League places to help pay off debts and to be able to sign good sponsors next season. If the level is exactly what it shows in the table, next to a high-scoring Betis, a Sevilla with a competitive squad and an Atlético de Madrid that knows how to move well to not let Europe slip away. In the end, madridismo is also looking forward to seeing Barça again.