The End of the Xavi Effect at Barcelona
After announcing his departure from Barcelona as coach at the end of the season on January 27th of this year, Xavi Hernández seemed to have finally brought the stability the club had been searching for.
However, it all came to an end in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final second leg, where the Blaugrana suffered a 1-4 defeat at home against PSG, thus bringing an end to the Xavi effect at the institution.
Since the announcement of Xavi stepping down as Barcelona's coach, the team remained unbeaten in 13 matches, consisting of 10 wins and three draws. They scored 26 goals and conceded only 10 during this period.
Among these matches were significant victories such as the 3-1 win over Napoli in the Champions League Round of 16, a 3-0 victory against Atlético Madrid in the league, and a 3-2 win over PSG at their own stadium in the first leg of the aforementioned tie.
Despite the positive results, there were discussions about Xavi potentially staying on as the team's coach despite his decision to leave. However, the disappointing elimination suffered at the hands of PSG prompts a reconsideration of this decision.