It may be a tough ride, but there's never a dull moment in the life of a Barcelona fan these days. There have been more bad days than good this season, but a glimmer of hope appeared on Saturday morning, with the confirmation of the return of Xavi to the club as their new manager.
In true Barca style, however, the afternoon was quickly soured by their La Liga clash with Celta Vigo later on Saturday.
Barcelona fans endure another chaotic day
The return of Xavi was the moment that Barcelona fans have been waiting for. The man who spent the vast majority of his playing career at the club, and was an integral part of the most successful period in the club's history, had been linked with the managerial job for months now in the midst of poor form under Ronald Koeman.
When Koeman was axed in late October, the rumours of Xavi's arrival intensified until, finally, the news was confirmed in an emotive video on the club's social media accounts.
It was meant to be.
Welcome home. pic.twitter.com/gdGdFedk7t— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 6, 2021
After a tough year, in which Barcelona not only lost their all-time great Lionel Messi, but were also forced to give up Antoine Griezmann to rivals Atletico, the appointment of Xavi is a glimmer of hope.
The club legend is a disciple of the Cruyff philosophy of football that has defined Barcelona's history, and his ex-teammate and manager Pep Guardiola has already spoken about how he trusts Xavi to bring the club back to the glory days.
That being said, he has a mighty job on his hands. Barca have made a dire start to the Champions League group stages, losing both of their first two games 3-0 before recording two nervy wins against the group's whipping boys Dynamo Kyiv. They face a real fight with Benfica to progress from the group as runners up, and will hope that the impact of Xavi's arrival is immediate.
They were given a timely reminder of where the club is currently at later on Saturday afternoon when they travelled to Celta Vigo for a La Liga game.
It was an explosive start from Barcelona, who were 3-0 up ten minutes before half-time thanks to early goals from young superstar Ansu Fati, veteran Sergio Busquets and new signing Memphis Depay.
That should have been the game done and dusted - and, in the era of Xavi's playing days, it would be incomprehensible for Barcelona to let another team back into the game from there. That is exactly what happened, though, as veteran strikers Nolito and Iago Aspas combined to tie up the game late on - Aspas' equaliser came with the last kick of the game.
FT #CeltaBarça 3-3
💥💥💥 @aspas10 completes the comeback with last kick of the game!#LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/F0HEEIFOgA— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) November 6, 2021
For Barca, the league title is all but gone already. Just under a third of the way through the season, they already sit eight points off top, and could fall ten points behind if Real Madrid are victorious later this weekend.
Their hopes of immediate success lie in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, and the arrival of new manager Xavi could not have come too quickly for Barca. If they are to salvage anything from this season, they will need the Xavi miracle project to kick in instantly.
SEE ALSO: Solskjaer Clearly Taken Aback By Harry Maguire 'We Lacked Belief' Comment
