FC Barcelona – Villarreal CF: Villarreal sink Barça further on a crazy afternoon at Montjuïc (3-5)

Marcelino's Villarreal, who had gone three games without a win in LaLiga and were dropping dangerously down the table, took all three points from Montjuïc in a crazy last half hour in which six goals were scored. After losing the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey in two weeks time, Xavi's Barça are in a critical situation in LaLiga, trailing Real Madrid by ten points.

Tactical analysis and match report by Xavi Sánchez.

These are not easy weeks for Xavi Hernández. After the embarrassing defeat against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup (4-1) and the elimination in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey against Athletic Club (4-2), Barça are focused on the only two competitions left to play: LaLiga and the Champions League. In the domestic competition, Xavi's side had won three in a row, but the gap to Real Madrid and Girona was still seven points. Convinced of turning this situation around, Xavi fielded the same eleven as against Athletic except for three changes: Romeu for Pedri, João Félix for Ferran Torres and Héctor Fort for the injured Balde.

In a similar situation to Barça are the former Europa League champions of 2021. Marcelino's Villarreal have now gone three consecutive games without three points and are perilously close to the bottom of the table with twenty points and in 14th place, five points adrift of relegation. The arrival of the Spanish coach has not reversed the situation in . . .