Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has found himself on the wrong of history after his side suffered a disappointing 4-2 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey yesterday (January 24). Thanks to that result, the 44-year-old has now become the most losing Spanish coach in the club’s history.
It hasn’t been the best of runs for Xavi and Barcelona over the last couple of weeks. The Blaugrana were recently humiliated by their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final with a 4-1 scoreline.
Back-to-back victories against Unionistas and Real Betis restored some hope but Xavi’s side found themselves wanting once again when they squared it off with Athletic Bilbao in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday (January 24).
A sloppy start to the game saw the Blaugrana fall one goal behind in the very first minute. Robert Lewandowski pulled the equalizer back and Lamine Yamal made it 2-1 heading into half-time. However, the Catalan giants failed to maintain that momentum, allowing the Basque outfit to punish them after the restart.
Oihan Sacet, Nico Williams and Inaki Williams led a second-half rout, bagging a goal each to secure a vital win for Athletic Bilbao to condemn Barcelona to yet another embarrassing defeat.
The result means that Xavi has become the most losing Spanish coach in the Blaugrana’s history. According to Transfermarkt, the tactician’s overall record with the club stands at 76 victories, 20 draws and 25 defeats in 121 games across all competitions.
So far, he’s won two honors with the club, namely the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga. However, the Blaugrana are unlikely to claim silverware this season owing to their poor level of performance, unless there’s a magical turnaround in the coming weeks.
What’s next for Xavi and Barcelona?
Following yesterday’s embarrassing loss, Xavi and Barcelona will now switch their attention to La Liga where they’ll be in action this weekend. They’re scheduled to take on Villarreal at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Saturday (January 27).
Following that, they will lock horns with Osasuna in the Spanish top flight next Wednesday (January 31) before squaring it off with Alaves in the league next Saturday (February 2)
Xavi will need to step up in the coming weeks to ensure the safety of his job, or it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s eventually relieved of his duties.
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