Barcelona's poor form laid bare by surprise Xavi stat comparison

Barcelona's electric start to the season is threatening to fizzle out and they suffered another setback on Saturday as Las Palmas ruined their 125th anniversary celebrations with a shock 2-1 win in La Liga.

Hansi Flick had led the Blaugrana to a six-point lead in Spain's title race but that advantage has been whittled down and could be almost entirely wiped out when rivals Real Madrid take on Getafe on Sunday.

Flick took over in the summer after Xavi Hernandez was given the boot from the dugout and his tactical acumen seemed to be paying dividends as the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha made impressive starts to the campaign.

However, delving into the numbers seems to suggest Barca haven't moved on too much at the beginning of 2024/25.

After 15 matches this term, the Catalan giants have racked up 34 points thanks to 11 victories and one draw alongside three defeats. Rather surprisingly, that is exactly the same amount they had picked up at this stage last season under Xavi when they finished a distant second to Real Madrid.

Even more astoundingly, it's a smaller haul than what Barca recouped in 2022/23 - the season of their last La Liga title win.

However, there do seem to have been improvements in certain areas upon Flick's arrival. Barca have scored 43 league goals, 15 more than the next highest scorers Real Madrid, and have only been out-performed by Liverpool and Inter in the newly reformatted Champions League.

There is an inconsistency that Flick needs to iron out given Barca have lost two of their last four fixtures, while there already appears to be a worrying reliance on 17-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal, who couldn't inspire victory against Las Palmas on Saturday after making his return from injury as a second-half substitute.

They'll hope to return to winning ways on Tuesday when they visit Mallorca.

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