How Xavi's Barcelona went from La Liga champions to 'one of the worst teams in Europe' in just six months

A cynic could have looked at Barca's defending numbers last season and say that they were unsustainable. The Blaugrana kept the most clean sheets in Europe, and only conceded 20 goals in La Liga. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, was having a statistically extraordinary campaign, and a suffocating back-line yielded very few good chances. These things, put together, were no accident. But they were, perhaps, impossible to replicate.

A look at Barca's European campaign, which was marked by comfortable defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Bayern Munich, suggested that there were ways to beat this team. Someone just had to figure out how.

And the answers have revealed themselves. Fundamentally, Barca are far too easy to play through on the break. Girona battered them four times in transition, while Rayo Vallecano, Antwerp, Granada and Villarreal did much the same. They have conceded within 60 seconds twice this season, while Ter Stegen simply isn't reproducing his shot-stopping magic of last season.

A change in midfield is a touchpoint here. Primarily, the loss of Sergio Busquets has had an immense impact. Xavi revitalised his career last season, asking the ageing pivot to play much deeper, win tackles, and circulate possession. By minimising his running, Busquets became a far better defender. That impact hasn't quite been replaced after the Spaniard moved to MLS' Inter Miami.

Inconsistency along the backline also hasn't helped. For most of the second half of last season, Xavi played Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Alejandro Balde. There were changes - Jordi Alba offered cover, for example. But that unit steadied things at the back. This season, though, Xavi has tinkered. Loan signing Joao Cancelo was brought in, while Araujo has occasionally been shifted to right-back. The result is a lack of continuity and a defence that doesn't always seem to be entirely cohesive.

Last season, Robert Lewandowski looked like one of the best signings of the summer. Yes, he was 33 years old. Yes, Bayern probably didn't want him any more. But he was still an elite footballer, who could serve as a transformative presence for a team who needed help in front of goal. And so he proved to be, winning the Pichichi and serving as the driving force behind a La Liga win.

This year, though, things have changed. Lewandowski has not fallen off a cliff. Footballers this good do not suddenly lose their quality, or randomly stop delivering in front of goal. Rather, the Lewandowski case is one of a veteran striker, who has been unwilling to change his game. It's easy to see his frustration here. Barca are not creating as much as they should, especially given the calibre of players they have in their team. Lewandowski has been so prolific because of the regular service he has received. When that dries up, his instinct is to find new pockets of space or drift deeper into the midfield. These things are hard to do at 35 - even for one of the game's great forwards.

The result has been missed chances, inconsistent touches, and a general lack of sharpness in key areas. Lewandowski's numbers aren't terrible - he has still scored eight goals in La Liga - but he's far from his Ballon d'Or calibre best of three years ago. Besides, any team would struggle when their main man is misfiring in such fashion.

But Lewandowski isn't the only one. The striker perhaps has an excuse here. It is not easy to make changes as a footballer late in a career - especially for one so good at their job.

Elsewhere, though, there are relatively few excuses. Kounde, Balde and Raphinha are all well short of their best, and haven't been providing with the kind of regularity that made them key pieces in Barca's winning run last season.

Kounde, in particular, is an interesting case. He was an immensely effective right-back last season, serving as one of the best defenders in the world at his position - and also steadily contributing going forward. But he has always maintained that he is a more natural centre-back. And this year, Xavi has treated him as such. The results have been mixed. Kounde routinely loses his one-on-one duels in central areas, and has made a handful of costly mistakes at key moments.

Balde, too, seems to have lost a step. His situation is curious. The left-back seemed ready to step into the first team permanently after Alba departed for MLS. But his career has stalled, with Balde struggling to make the position his own. Injuries haven't helped, but the left-back has only started three of the Blaugrana's last five La Liga games - and was dropped for the early title decider with Girona (his team lost 4-2.)

Xavi's suitability as a coach has never been seriously questioned. He faced media scrutiny for parts of last season, especially when Barca failed to make it out of their Champions League group, and he can certainly be criticised for losses in various big games in his tenure. However, not until recently have there been real holes in the manager's system.

Although this is clearly a man who knows the club, and has a tactical vision as to how his side should operate, the lack of a plan B in Catalunya is glaring. Barca's tactics have become a bit stale, with the manager insisting on sticking with a pseudo-4-4-2 that morphs into a 3-2-5 in possession. Everything about Barca is predictable. Raphinha will always cut inside. Joao Felix will always try to draw defenders. Lewandowski will always drop into space. Balde will always try to scamper up the left. There is no variation here, no improvisation.

There have been some vague attempts at personnel changes. Ilkay Gundogan has played higher up the pitch. Cancelo has been tried out in midfield. Balde, for some reason, has been deployed as a centre-back. But nothing has stuck — and Barca have suffered as a result.

Barca have endured injury hell. Ter Stegen, Gavi, Pedri, Lewandowski, Balde, Kounde, Araujo, Raphinha, De Jong and Inigo Martinez have all suffered injuries at various points this season. At one point, the Blaugrana were without six first-team players (as it happened, that was the weekend of El Clasico.)

Injuries happen to any football club. Real Madrid, theoretically Barca's most apparent title rivals, have sustained three ACL tears this season - as well as countless other knocks. But Barca don't have the quality or experience of Carlo Ancelotti's side. They cannot turn to Luka Modric if they want a reliable backup, or call upon Federico Valverde for extra legs in midfield.

Barca could have perhaps recruited more effectively (more on that later.) They certainly could have managed minutes more intelligently. Either way, they simply don't have the depth to hit their best once the injuries come.

And one absence has been felt more keenly than others. Gavi has long been a point of contention among football fans. Culers will claim that the Spanish midfielder is the lifeblood of this Barca team, an all-action presence who keeps Xavi's side ticking. Others - namely Madridistas - dub him a "thug" who stretches the rules of the game.

The reality is likely somewhere in between. But either way, he is an immensely important player for his team. Gavi has been a constant in this Barca side for the last 18 months, playing in all four midfield positions, as well as, on occasion, out wide. He is the player who starts the press, wins the tackles, and breaks the lines when on the ball.

It is unfortunate, then, that he sustained an ACL tear in a meaningless international contest for Spain in November. Xavi has repeatedly lamented his absence since then, pointing out on numerous occasions that Barca simply aren't the same team without their midfield menace. And he has a point. Without Gavi, Barca don't have any bite.

Yamal burst onto the scene in the Joan Gamper trophy in August, orchestrating a late comeback against Tottenham in a performance reminiscent of one put on by a certain Lionel Messi in the same stadium, over 15 years before. The hype steadily grew from there, Yamal impacting a number of games after, earning a Spain call-up, and becoming the youngest goalscorer in national team history. The new Messi, it seemed, had arrived.

Things haven't exactly gone smoothly since then. Yamal has shown up in big moments, and produced some highlight-reel pieces of skill. But Xavi has been reluctant to let the youngster run riot, conserving his legs and often using the latest La Masia as an impact substitute.

This is probably a sensible decision, especially given the winger's limitless potential. But Raphinha, the man kicking him out of the lineup, hasn't exactly set the world alight. Yamal has started seven of a possible 17 La Liga games. Perhaps it's time to bump those numbers up. Xavi's reluctance to use his most unpredictable attacking threat is costing his team.

It was always going to be a difficult summer in the transfer market. Barca, remember, are still in deep financial trouble, with Joan Laporta's so-called levers only temporarily alleviating the monetary stressors that have plagued the club for the last three years.

Put more simply: Barca are skint. The response was a sub-standard addition to the engine room, a free-agent centre-back, and two other high-quality, but fundamentally flawed loan signings.

Oriol Romeu has failed to convince so far. Supposedly a low-budget, but reliable Busquets replacement, he has instead been a lumbering presence at the base of midfield who occasionally fills the gaps that need plugging. Joao Felix has shown moments of brilliance, but inconsistency has continued to stall his career. Joao Cancelo has a wonderful right foot, but no natural position on the field. Inigo Martinez is little more than a solid backup.

Nailing the transfer window isn't easy. For clubs of Barca's magnitude, ones that expect big signings, it's even harder. Still, when the new signings don't work, it shows. Xavi & Co. haven't hit the mark.