Barcelona's defeat by Antwerp in the Champions League did not pass without words for club president Joan Laporta. Rather, it caused him great anger, even if he concealed it in front of the newspapers.
According to the newspaper "Sport", Laporta was waiting for a strong reaction from Barcelona's players and coach to the 4-2 defeat by Girona, by achieving a sweeping victory over Antwerp and reconciling with the fans.
But the reality is that the Barça players did not provide that, and even before the match, Xavi excluded the stars, which angered Laporta to the extent that he intervened and ordered the coach to return the trio of Lewandowski, Araujo, and Gundogan to the list and strive for victory.
It is true that the Antwerp match was a win, and Barcelona had guaranteed qualification to the round of 16 before that, but Laporta viewed it as an important match in order to show public opinion and the fans that the loss to Girona had consequences, and not as it seemed as if it did not happen.
This is not the first time that Laporta has been angry with Xavi's decisions after defeats. The first time that deffused the anger between them was when he gave the Barcelona players a two-day rest following the 2-1 El Clasico loss at the Luis Companis Olympic Stadium.
Laporta always wants the reaction to be clear in the event of defeat, and for the wounds to be healed quickly, but the way Xavi and his team have dealt with this, so far, is not at all acceptable to the president of the Catalan club.
It remains unknown whether this matter will leave a residue that could eventually lead to Xavi's ouster from his position if the stumbles and his handling of setbacks in general are repeated.
It should be noted that Barcelona faces Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium on Saturday, and a new defeat or unacceptable performance may ignite a lot within the walls of the Blaugrana between the president, the coach and the players.
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