The news of Xavi's departure was like a bombshell, causing quite a stir in the hearts of fans. Looking back on his days at Barcelona, we have both witnessed glory and tasted regret. Domestically, Xavi has led Barcelona to impressive results, but in Europe the situation is very different.
In La Liga, Xavi's Barcelona have shown impressive consistency, with a whopping 68 win percentage2%, and under him, Barça have lost only 14 of their 85 matches. In particular, in his first season in charge, he fought his way up from ninth place to second place, showing incredible combat effectiveness. In the second season, he won the championship, proving that Xavi's tactical layout and team management have been extraordinary.
However, when we turn to European competition, Xavi's Barcelona seem to be out of the woods. Since his Champions League debut, his win rate is just 363%, which is in stark contrast to his performances in the domestic league. The draw with Benfica cost Barcelona a direct chance to qualify for the round of 16, and the subsequent defeat in Munich made Xavi and all Barcelona fans see the harsh reality: Barcelona still have a long way to go in the competition with Europe's top teams.
In the subsequent Europa League matches, Barcelona won against Napoli and Galatasaray, but unfortunately exited against Eintracht Frankfurt. In last season's Champions League group of death, Barcelona also failed to show its due strength, and was defeated by Bayern and Inter Milan successively, bidding farewell to the Champions League ahead of schedule. In the Europa League, Barcelona lost against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which is regrettable.
Despite this, Barca's European form seemed to pick up at the start of the season, with wins over Antwerp, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, but the subsequent games have complicated the situation again, especially against Shakhtar Donetsk and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Xavi's departure is a sad sight to behold, as his coaching career has been full of highlights, but the challenges in European competition always seem to be a pain point for Barca. Xavi's departure is not only the end of an era for Barcelona, but also a rethinking of Barca's future in European competition. We look forward to Barcelona returning to the top of Europe under the new leadership and making the fans proud again.