Xavi reportedly feels Barcelona ‘can forget’ about La Liga due to Real Madrid coach Ancelotti’s friendliness with head of referees
Barcelona manager Xavi has reportedly informed his close associates that he expects his side to lose La Liga to Real Madrid this season. The manager allegedly reached this conclusion after noticing the relationship between Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti and the head of referees earlier this season.
Before the commencement of a new season, a meeting is usually held between the referees and the managers of the clubs. Xavi observed the camaraderie that existed between Ancelotti and Luis Medina Cantalejo, the head of referees, when the Italian manager asked for VAR to be used less.
The Barcelona manager was sure that this relationship would influence the season, and he relayed the information to his close associates. The event came to light after the most recent round of La Liga matches from the weekend. As per Football Espana, Xavi told his close ones:
"We can forget about this league, we won’t win it now"
Real Madrid came back from 2-0 down to defeat Almeria 3-2 in contentious fashion at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos had a dubious penalty awarded, and Vinicius Jr. scored a controversial goal which looked to have come off his arm.
In all, Ancelotti's side had three VAR calls in their favour, including the cancellation of a third Almeria goal in the second half. This sparked comments about referees influencing games involving Los Blancos, including some from Barcelona manager Xavi.
Barcelona and Real Madrid remain in the hunt for the league crown this season, with La Blaugrana currently seven points behind them.
Real Madrid ascending, Barcelona struggling this season
For much of the start of the season, Barcelona and Real Madrid looked like they were on the same level, as they began the season in fine form. Since El Clasico in October, however, there has been a paradigm shift between the sides.
Xavi's side laboured to a 4-2 win over Real Betis, which took them to 44 points this season, a tally eight points behind league leaders Girona. They also lost the Supercopa de Espana final 4-1 to their bitter rivals in Riyadh, adding to the manager's exasperation.
On the other hand, Carlo Ancelotti's side defeated Almeria in controversial circumstances to move within one point of Girona. With a game in hand, they are expected to leapfrog the Catalan side in the coming weeks, and won the Supercopa de Espana this month.
In Europe, while Barca labored to a top spot with two defeats and four wins, Real Madrid had a perfect group outing with six wins in six UEFA Champions League games.