"Who invited him?", "Not watching" - Barcelona fans furious with Xavi for selecting defender against Espanyol

Barcelona fans are unhappy with defender Marcos Alonso's inclusion in the starting XI for their LaLiga fixture against Espanyol on December 31.

Manager Xavi Hernandez has chosen to start the Spaniard alongside Andreas Christensen as his center-backs for the derby at Camp Nou.

The duo will play alongside Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba in the back four in front of Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Gavi, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong form Barca's midfield, while Ansu Fati, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski start in attack.

🎊 BARÇA XI 🎊
#BarçaEspanyol https://t.co/rYOMfEJGiU

However, Alonso's inclusion in the starting XI has left Barcelona fans furious, especially with the likes of Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo on the bench.

Fans took to Twitter to share their frustration at Xavi's decision to start the former Chelsea man against their city rivals. Here are some of their reactions:

@FCBarcelona Who invited Alonso?

Alba, Alonso and Roberto start? Not watching. #XaviOut twitter.com/FCBarcelona/st…

that back four twitter.com/FCBarcelona/st… https://t.co/XESUB57v2U

the one defender that we have available who is the best in their position is on the bench… twitter.com/fcbarcelona/st…

Brooooo why the fuck is alon-slow there😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 twitter.com/FCBarcelona/st…

Xavier wants me to spend my new year’s eve crying over that defense. Not happening. https://t.co/mQd7UBbRxS twitter.com/fcbarcelona/st…

@ReshadRahman_ It’s 2023 and FC Barcelona has a back 4 containing Roberto, Alonso and Alba😭 https://t.co/YvgOlGYinx

@ReshadRahman_ When will xavi realise alonso,alba are not on barcelona level ,they are not even good defenders

Wait what.
Why do we need to start Alonso at CB.??
We can rotate our forwards and there's no problem with that but starting Alonso in front of Kounde at CB??

I can't understand what's the problem with a fully fit squad.
#Barcelona https://t.co/f4R7OOScMp

Alonso joined Barcelona in the summer after terminating his contract with Chelsea. Primarily a left-back, the Spaniard has played as a center-back under Xavi this season.

Alonso has made 12 appearances across competitions for the Blaugrana, scoring one goal.

Xavi Hernandez on Robert Lewandowski featuring for Barcelona against Espanyol

One controversy surrounding the derby is striker Lewandowski's availability for the match.

The Polish striker was sent off in Barcelona's previous La Liga game against Osasuna before the FIFA World Cup break. The club appealed to the court to rescind his suspension, but it was waved off.

However, a court in Madrid upheld Lewandowski's suspension, allowing him to play against Espanyol.

Speaking about the same in a pre-match conference, Xavi stated that they were ready to play without their talisman (via SPORT):

“We found out after training had finished, we were preparing for the game thinking that we could not call on him. It’s not the best timing, but we are happy that he can play. He was also surprised by the timing. For me it’s a disproportionate ban.”

He added:

“Now the committee of referees has between two and three days. It would be good to know how long the sanction is, when we won't be able to count on him. It should have been known before. These weeks we have trained differently thinking that we did not have him. The organisation is not being good. I don't know if we can count on him against Atletico."

Lewandowski joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich in the summer and has since scored 18 goals in 19 games for the Spanish side.