FCBARCELONA.CAT

10.05.2010 13:56

Barca know how to win without Xavi

Marc Guillén

Xavi Hernandez has played more this season than any other member of the Barca squad. However, on the few occasions that he’s been unavailable, the team have won their matches without him.

against Valladolid after receiving his fifth yellow card against Sevilla – all of them for protesting.

Five wins in five

Xavi Hernandez is one of the best midfielders in the world – perhaps the best – but a look back at the games he has missed this season suggests the team will do the job without him. He’s missed five complete matches this season – and Barca has won every single one of them!

Even in the tough visit to Mallorca, when Xavi didn’t come on until the 30th minute, Barca eased to a comfortable 0-2 victory.

Injury and suspension

Xavi is a fixture in Guardiola’s line-ups and has been used more than any player except goalkeeper Victor Valdes. He’s missed fives games this season, four of them through injury. The last match he missed was the first leg of the Cup tie against Cultural Leonesa.

The midfield tandem

Xavi and Iniesta form one of the deadliest midfield pairings in world football and the special touch they add to the Barca style means that rarely are they both missing from Guardiola’s team. However, with Xavi definitely suspended and Iniesta still struggling to make a full recovery from injury, Barca may just have to win next weekend without either of them.

In that case, the record is encouraging. Against Mallorca and Zaragoza, Barca held on to a winning margin despite losing both players for the final minutes while at home to Athletic Bilbao, Barca cruised to a win without the injured Iniesta and with Xavi coming on for the final half hour. The only time this season when neither player was included in the squad – the Cup match against Cultural Leonesa – the team secured a comfortable 0-2 victory.