Picking who the winner will be in the Royal Antwerp vs. Barcelona clash in the UEFA Champions League would be easy if this was between the years 2014 and 2019.
Now, Barcelona supporters just can't trust the Catalonian club. Bookmakers had a field day on Wednesday.
Barca lost to Royal Antwerp 2-3 in the last round of the UCL Group Stage, in a game that the Spanish squad has no business losing after deciding not to rest their top players.
It is not just this loss that has fans and rumors talking. Over at La Liga, they recently lost to Catalonian rivals Girona to see themselves slip to fourth spot of the table. They are now at least three games behind the top spot.
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Is Xavi losing control?
The result of this match was further put into focus as manager Xavi's squad already owned the top spot, and there were plans to rest key players like Robert Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong, and Ronald Araujo.
However, club president Joan Laporta reportedly intervened and insisted that these players (de Jong did not play) be fielded to ensure they would get back on track. The organization thought resting these players reflects the club's lack of urgency.
Despite the presence of Lewa and other key guys, Barca still lost.
Board members' confidence in Xavi dwindling
Xavi's success last season led to an extension. The organization expressed its confidence in Xavi's genius with a new contract to keep him as Barcelona's manager until 2025.
That confidence has melted over the past week because of Barca's poor performances.
Spanish journalist Alex Pintanel suggested that board members are no longer sold about the 43-year-old manager's plans. They also did not find it comforting when Xavi said Barcelona is still under construction.
Fans, on the other hand, are concerned with the positions players are being put on. Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo are playing center-back while Ilkay Gundogan is being forced to fill the position of struggling Oriol Romeu.
Xavi said the problem with his team right now is confidence.
"It's a matter of confidence," he said after the loss to Royal Antwerp.
"The coaching staff is giving the players full confidence. We have rotated and given a chance to players. Now it's a matter to be inspired, and right now we're not. Barcelona's shirt has a lot of weight, there's added pressure and players need to deal with it."
Should Barcelona fire Xavi?
Barcelona and their supporters find themselves in a similar situation from last year. They did win La Liga, their 27th, but the road there was treacherous.
Xavi changed the system come the second half of the season and led the team to a glorious run, including beating arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España.
Firing him might misfire for Barcelona. As he said, confidence is the only issue. He got the players he wanted and needed. They can use the next games to get that back.
The season is not yet a lost cause and starting over with the knockout stage almost here will leave players no time to regroup and get acclimated under a new system.
Xavi's system works during a particular stretch, and there is no reason they will not work anymore as long as the players are kept healthy.
If there is any good takeaway from the loss to the Royal Antwerp, it is the part where they did try to compose themselves and got back in the game.
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