da bet7： Xavi badly needs to win Sunday's final in order to prove that his side can go on to achieve something big in what's left of the 2023-24 campaign

da dobrowin： If it was 12 months ago that Xavi's Barca job seemed in danger, things look far worse now. Back then, in January 2023, the Blaugrana were in an unstable position. They had crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage for the second straight year, and their league form was inconsistent.

A damning loss at the hands of Madrid in El Clasico in October offered a measure of just how big the gap was between the two teams. Barca were much improved, but Madrid were simply better.

And then came the Supercopa final. Once again, Madrid seemed the much-favoured side to get the win. Barca had needed extra time to beat Real Betis, and had a day less to prepare than their sworn enemies.

But in a showing that established Xavi's credentials as a top-tier manager, the Blaugrana turned in a dominant performance. The stat sheets suggested an even game but in reality, Madrid were nowhere near Barca. The 3-1 scoreline flattered Carlo Ancelotti's side, while Xavi claimed his first piece of silverware – however 'tinpot' it might've been deemed – as a manager.

That fixture proved to be the impetus for five memorable months, with Barca going on to reclaim the Liga crown, inspired by one of Europe's best defences. And that all started with one victory in a tournament that didn't really matter.

Now, 364 days later, Barca have the chance to do the same again. Things are worse this time – Barca have fallen out of the title race, while injuries have crippled their chances at European success – but Xavi knows how a season can turn on one result. A win here really could make all the difference.

Getty ImagesA similarly chaotic winter

This time 12 months ago, Barca's performances were anything but inspiring. The Blaugrana were beating the bad teams, but simply didn't show up in the big games. They were battered by Bayern, Inter and Madrid. They failed to get a result against Espanyol, squeaked past Osasuna, and made things difficult against a struggling Valencia.

Xavi admitted twice within his first 12 months that he could be sacked at any time, and publicly complained about his disdain for the Champions League anthem. If league success was expected, getting out of the group stage of Europe's elite competition was mandated. Barca failed spectacularly.

A chaotic, ever-changing squad certainly didn't help. In early November, Gerard Pique was unexpectedly and briskly shown the door after a series of miserable performances. The club dubbed the move "retirement", but it was clear that the player himself didn't make the decision. While some of the new signings – namely Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde – offered a sense of reliability, knocks elsewhere made Xavi's job tricky. Ansu Fati was, for a change, injured. Ronald Araujo, later so crucial to the team's success, also found himself sidelined. Getting a consistent XI on the pitch was nearly impossible.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe crucial tactical switch

To amend all this, Xavi made an important tactical alteration. For months, he had been loyal to some version of a traditional 4-3-3, complete with a recognised No.9, two roaming box-to-box midfielders and inverted wingers on either side. It was the Barca way of doing things – a line that could be traced from Johan Cruyff to Pep Guardiola and beyond.

But by January, it became clear that the system wasn't working. The lack of a reliable left winger meant that they relied too heavily on the right, while Sergio Busquets could no longer play as a lone pivot. Barca were imbalanced in key areas. Something had to change.

The solution was unusual. Xavi packed his midfield, deploying what seemed, on paper, to be a lop-sided 4-4-2 – with no recognised left-sided attacker on the pitch. It turned out to be a masterstroke. In practice, the system became a 3-2-4-1 with a box midfield. Frenkie de Jong and Busquets worked in tandem as a double pivot. Pedri and Gavi roamed high up the pitch. One of Alejandro Balde and Jordi Alba functioned as a left-winger. Barca could now outnumber opponents in the middle when the game slowed down, and create overloads on the wings when it sped up.

It was a borrowed idea in some senses – Pep Guardiola had deployed a box midfield to unlock Manchester City earlier in the season. But it mattered little. Barca had a reliable system.

GettyA game that proved Xavi's tactical credentials

The new system was deployed in earnest for the first time against Madrid. He couldn't have picked a riskier game. Los Blancos had some injury issues to contend with but here was a manager reshaping his midfield entirely, ahead of a match in which he had to face the tandem of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Good luck.

But the changes worked. Barca not only controlled possession but also pressed diligently. Kroos and Modric were overmatched, leaving Eduardo Camavinga to put in the legwork – something he proved unable to do. Ancelotti moved Federico Valverde into a deeper-lying role in the second half, but even his legs couldn't stop the rout.

Meanwhile, the defence was as tight as ever. Araujo man-marked Vinicius throughout, and Balde enjoyed his breakout showing in a Barca shirt. This wasn't domination on the level of Barca's famous 5-0 win at Camp Nou, but it was as convincing a win as the Bluagrana have enjoyed over their arch-rivals in years.

GettyA title-winning run

That shift – encapsulated by that game – kickstarted a dominant run to the Liga crown. Barca went undefeated for two months following the Supercopa triumph, and had the league title wrapped up by the end of April. There were losses here and there – including a defeat to Manchester United in the Europa League, as well as the humbling 4-0 capitulation to Madrid in the Copa del Rey.

Outside of that disappointment, though, Barca looked their sharpest in years. Marc-Andre ter Stegen was once again among the best goalkeepers in Europe. De Jong enjoyed a career revival that made the Blaugrana's attempts to sell him to United the previous summer look foolish. And Busquets, despite having very little left in his legs, enjoyed one last run as part of a title-winning team.

Madrid, it must be admitted, were poor towards the end of the season. They dropped uncharacteristic points, and couldn't quite piece together the kind of miraculous Champions League run that the rest of the footballing world has come to expect. Still, this was a Barca win, a reclamation of a title that had been away from Catalunya for far too long. And Xavi was at the centre of it all.