An insight into the current mindset in the dressing room of La Liga giants Barcelona has this weekend been forthcoming online.

And the info points towards things being far from positive in Xavi’s squad at present.

FC Barcelona continue to focus their priorities towards first renewing their current players. Only after the Catalan giants secure the signatures they need would they move towards the foreign market. Yet, it seems that Barcelona still have quite some way to go before they can secure the players they want to continue with.

Dani Rodriguez, aged 18, is one of Barça’s most promising forwards within the quarry. He has been an impactful piece in the youth teams this season, but unfortunately, his contract will come to an end in the summer by when it expires and he would be left to negotiate with any interested club.

FC Barcelona continue to focus their priorities towards first renewing their current players. Only after the Catalan giants secure the signatures they need would they move towards the foreign market. Yet, it seems that Barcelona still have quite some way to go before they can secure the players they want to continue with.

FC Barcelona’s season is close to completion, as merely four games remain before the team can fully divert their focus to the upcoming summer transfer window.

While the Catalan giants’ dreams of winning any trophies have been put to bed after a slip-up against Girona confirmed Real Madrid’s status as league winners, the challenging season for Barcelona comes with a silver lining.

Financial relief

Indeed, according to AS Barcelona’s struggles this season will allow them to avoid paying bonuses totalling about €40 million.

With the exception of the Spanish Super Cup, which necessitates separate negotiation, this amount indicates what players would have received in accordance with their contracts for winning competitions like La Liga, the Champions League, or the Copa del Rey.

Winning La Liga would have meant €750,000 per player while clinching the Champions League would have been worth €1 million each.

The Cup has its own rules for bonuses; it is only valued if accompanied by La Liga or the Champions League, adding up to €250,000 on top of the prize for the other trophy.

In contrast, the club awarded bonuses of almost €20 million to win La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup the previous season.

This season, there has been no financial gain whatsoever. Inconsistent performances in La Liga and a Champions League run that was halted by PSG, along with an early exit from the Cup against Athletic Bilbao, paint a grim picture both on and off the field.

Moreover, the prospect of finishing third in the league would deal a heavy blow, potentially resulting in a loss of almost €15 million: seven from TV rights and eight from missing out on the Spanish Super Cup.

Similar to the players, the coaching staff and staff members also possess bonuses in their contracts for winning titles, although the reward is much smaller.

Last year, winning La Liga and the Super Cup translated to around €25,000 each for staff members.

As such, even though Barcelona would much rather secure titles and the revenue that comes from them, Barça can take some salvation knowing nearly €40 million in bonuses are being saved in this economic crisis.

Barcelona have a great chance to reclaim second place in the La Liga standings when they take on Real Sociedad at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Monday night.

The 2-4 loss to Girona last weekend meant that Xavi Hernandez & co. slipped down to third place, which put their qualification for the Spanish Super Cup for next season at risk.

However, with Girona dropping points last night, Barça have an opportunity to move above their local rivals in the standings on Monday.

Xavi to recall Raphinha and Pedri

Real Sociedad, though, will be far from an easy opponent for Barcelona which is why Xavi is set to recall two key players to the starting lineup on Monday.

Indeed, as per Mundo Deportivo, key midfielder Pedri and star winger Raphinha will be back in the Blaugrana starting XI against Imanol Alguacil’s men.

Xavi opted to field four midfielders against Girona, opting to go with Sergi Roberto, Andreas Christensen, Ilkay Gundogan, and Fermin Lopez – a strategy that did not come off for his team.

As such, he is set to revert to a traditional 4-3-3 on Monday, with Pedri and Raphinha, who made substitute appearances last week, in line to start, at the expense of Roberto and Fermin, respectively.

Pedri’s presence in the team means Barça are more effective in their ball circulation while his ability to find a killer final pass makes the team more dangerous.

Raphinha’s return provides an additional goal threat, while his ability to track back will help deal with the lively Takefusa Kubo.

Are any other changes likely?

There could be more alterations made by Xavi, with Marcos Alonso understood to be in line for a rare starting opportunity at left-back, at the expense of Joao Cancelo.

The Portuguese full-back could either be benched or moved to right-back, with Jules Kounde dropping out.

Otherwise, there are unlikely to be any other major alterations with the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Ronald Araujo, and Robert Lewandowski, among others, expected to hold on to their spots.

The core of the current Spanish national team is predominantly Barcelona-based. Gavi, Pedri, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and now Pau Cubarsi are all players with roles to play for La Roja, and it only helps their chemistry to share the stage on every front.

Barcelona’s eye, thus, has been on the Spanish national team’s left wing for a long time now. Once destined to be Ansu Fati’s position, it has seen a change in ownership and currently belongs to a certain Nico Williams.

As the Blaugranas head into the summer transfer window in the hunt for a new left-winger, the 21-year-old has thus popped up as a priority target, and not for the first time.

The club’s precarious financial circumstances throw doubt on their chances of grabbing the winger’s services. Reality aside, however, it is indeed interesting to speculate how the youngster would fit into Xavi’s setup should the move go through.

Barça Universal brings you the story of Nico Williams, his profile, possible integration and an analysis of his skillsets.

The backstory

Inaki Williams, for long, basked in the limelight of Athletic Club’s attacking department. A mainstay at the club since the 2014-15 campaign, the Ghanaian international was the Basque side’s single greatest threat in front of goal.

Not many expected, however, that the player who would share the limelight with the 29-year-old in the years to come would be his own brother.

Nico, the younger of the two Williams siblings, burst onto Athletic Club’s first team scene in the 2020-21 season with two appearances off the bench.

The subsequent season saw him become a regular name off the bench for the Basque setup as he participated in 34 games for the team in La Liga alone.

With regular minutes under his belt, the young phenom honed his skills and began churning out numbers for the club as early as last season. With six goals and four assists to his name in La Liga, he even earned a regular starting spot for the side.

The ongoing campaign, however, has been Williams’ breakthrough season by far. Numbers do not do justice to the performances he brings out for the club, and one can even argue that he has taken over from his big brother as the team’s most potent force.

Flair and end-product in equal measure

Now 21 years of age, Williams stands out as one of the world’s brightest talents on the wing and not without reason.

What makes the young phenom stand out concerning his compatriots is his fluency on the ball with a level that is difficult to come by in today’s world.

Specialising as a left-winger, the youngster has the right balance of pace and agility to get past opposition defenders. He is seldom forced to use any muscle as his flair and skill on the ball help him manoeuvre past defenders with ease.

Williams specialises in providing crosses into the box and is best coupled with a potent number nine. Yet, he does have a strong strike and can develop the same to create a more direct threat on goal as well.

In 28 games this season in La Liga, the young phenom has scored four goals and provided 11 assists for Athletic Club.

What makes his statistics more impressive, however, is that he averages close to three successful dribbles and 1.5 key passes per game and is thus one of La Liga’s most fouled players.

Apart from being La Liga’s second-highest assist provider this season, Williams is the player in the league with the most successful dribbles per game, even above Vinicius Jr, Savio and Isco.

He is also a menace in the box which is testified by the fact that he has won the most penalties in La Liga this season.

How does Williams compare to Xavi’s current options?

Should Barcelona complete the dream signing of the 21-year-old, he will certainly take over as the team’s first-choice winger down the left flank.

It is thus only logical that his profile and style to compared with Xavi’s existing options in the department – Joao Felix, Raphinha and Ferran Torres.

The Athletic Club star understandably has a lower xG per ninety minutes compared to the Barcelona stars as he operates primarily as a wide winger, however, his expected assists (xA) per ninety minutes is only second to Raphinha at 0.44 per game.

Williams also records an average of 5.51 progressive carries and 12.1 progressive receives per game, significantly higher than Barcelona’s trio. The aforementioned statistic only shows that the youngster plays a more vertical brand of football with more incisive passes and runs.

Throwing the focus on crosses, the Athletic Club star has also averaged more crosses than all three Barcelona players per game with 6.40 crosses per 90 minutes.

In terms of creating danger on goal, one can look towards the player’s shot-creating actions and goal-creating actions per ninety minutes this season.

In the former respect, he stands on 5.07, only behind Barcelona’s Raphinha, while he is significantly better in terms of the latter with 1.02 goal-creating actions per game.

Williams has averaged 7.47 take-ons per game this season compared to Raphinha’s 3.19 and Felix’s 3.19. Notably, he completes more take-ons than any of the Barcelona players attempt at 3.56.

The Spanish youngster also leads the race by quite some margin in terms of total carrying distance, progressive carrying distance and progressive carries per 90.

Conclusion

Williams would be a spectacular signing for Barcelona, not only in terms of a stylistic fit but also as a direct solution to the team’s problem in breaking down low blocks.

With Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams down the right and left flanks respectively, Xavi can boast of a terrifying forward trio next season that is equally able to attack down both flanks.

One must also pay notice to the phenom’s consistency for Athletic Club this season.

Irrespective of whether he has got on the scoresheet, he has consistently delivered for his side in terms of creativity, attacking impetus and key passes which is precisely where the likes of Joao Felix and Ferran Torres falter.

The one shortcoming in Nico’s game that could concern Barcelona is his distribution, which is a department where his statistics are not up to the mark for the club’s liking. Yet, it is an area where the player can make conscious efforts to improve.

All eyes thus turn to the club’s finances and whether they can raise the €50 million needed to sign Williams come summer. The Spaniard would be worth that investment and could elevate this attacking unit to the next level.

Barcelona are currently filtering down the options they have on their table to reinforce the left wing this summer.

Xavi Simons and Nico Williams have emerged as promising targets, albeit both are complicated by their own factors. Meanwhile, the name of former La Masia star Dani Olmo has also come up as an option for the Catalans, and not for the first time.

A long-standing target

As revealed in a recent report via AS, Olmo has been a long-standing target for Barcelona, and particularly, for Joan Laporta.

When the president stepped into his offices at the beginning of his second tenure in 2021, the Spanish winger was a priority target for the administration.

Progress was made with Olmo’s entourage at the time, but the deal fell apart eventually owing to the club’s poor finances.

Even the departure of Lionel Messi and the sale of Antoine Griezmann at the time could not fund the youngster’s arrival.

Olmo is again on Barcelona’s radar three years later, but the situation is not much rosier than it was in 2021. With a release clause set at €60 million, Barcelona are far from in a position to trigger his departure.

After all, the gross value of the deal including the player’s hefty salary could go over €100 million.

Xavi is an admirer

Olmo has always wanted to return to La Liga after his development in Germany, and the conditions are right for him to return to Barcelona barring his contractual situation.

Xavi, in particular, is said to be a big fan of the Spaniard’s profile after all. The tactician sees his versatility, tactical understanding, comfort on the ball and differential factor in front of goal to be of great promise.

The 26-year-old has five assists and four goals for RB Leipzig in this season’s Bundesliga alone and has once again attracted interest from across the globe.

With clubs from the Premier League interested as well, a move to Barcelona appears complicated.

Barcelona will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain’s top flight when they welcome Real Sociedad to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Monday evening.

The Catalan outfit will enter the contest off the back of a 4-2 defeat at Girona, which left them third in the table, while Real Sociedad recorded a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas last time out to boost their top-six hopes.

Barcelona’s incredibly-slim hopes of winning the La Liga title officially ended last weekend when they suffered a 4-2 defeat at Girona, with the result confirming Real Madrid as the champions.

Xavi‘s side dropped to third in the division, two points behind Girona, and they are locked in a battle for the runners-up position in Spain’s top flight, but qualification for next season’s Champions League has already been secured, so there is not anything substantial for them to play for late in the campaign.

Barcelona have actually lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, before suffering a 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico.

The Catalan outfit bounced back by beating Valencia 4-2 in their last home match, but the loss at Girona last time out was a setback, and they will be bidding to end the campaign on a positive note, with games against Almeria, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla to come after this one.

Barcelona have actually lost three times at their temporary home in La Liga this season, which is more than on their travels (two), and they will be welcoming a Real Sociedad outfit that have the fourth-best away record in the division this season, picking up 27 points from their 17 games on their travels.

Real Sociedad finished fourth in La Liga last season to qualify for the 2023-24 Champions League, and they reached the last-16 stage of the competition before being beaten by PSG.

The Basque outfit will not be present in next season’s Champions League, but they are currently in a position to qualify for the group stage of the 2023-24 Europa League, sitting in sixth spot, two points ahead of seventh-placed Real Betis, with that spot bringing a Conference League playoff position.

Imanol Alguacil‘s side will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas, but they have only won one of their last four in the league, including a 1-0 home loss to Real Madrid at the end of April.

Real Sociedad have a tough end to the season, facing Valencia, Real Betis and Atletico Madrid in their final three matches, so there is still plenty of work to do when it comes to securing a Europa League spot.

The White and Blues beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou last season, but they suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Catalan outfit when the two teams locked horns for the reverse fixture earlier this term.

Barcelona will be without the services of three players through injury on Monday, with Gavi and Alejandro Balde remaining long-term absentees, while Frenkie de Jong is sidelined due to an ankle problem.

Head coach Xavi is expected to make a couple of changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Girona last time out, with Pedri and Raphinha potentially coming into the XI.

Sergi Roberto and Fermin Lopez are likely to be the two players to drop down to the bench, with Andreas Christensen set to feature as the holding midfielder once again.

As for Real Sociedad, Igor Zubeldia, Martin Zubimendi, Kieran Tierney and Carlos Fernandez are unavailable for selection on Monday night.

Hamari Traore and Aihen Munoz are both doubts, meanwhile, so the visitors will be far from full-strength on Monday evening against a Barcelona side that will be bidding to bounce back from a defeat.

Takefusa Kubo is expected to be brought back into the XI, having only been a late substitute last time out, but Sheraldo Becker should continue in the final third of the field, having netted his second league goal of the campaign last time out.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Gundogan, Christensen, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Odriozola, Le Normand, Pacheco, Galan; Benat, Mendez, Merino; Oyarzabal, Becker, Kubo

Barcelona head coach Xavi is expected to make a couple of changes to his starting side for Monday’s La Liga clash against Real Sociedad.

The Catalan outfit will again be without the services of three players through injury, with Alejandro Balde and Gavi remaining long-term absentees for the club.

Frenkie de Jong, meanwhile, is sidelined with an ankle injury, with the Netherlands international not expected to feature again during the 2023-24 campaign.

Pedri and Raphinha are both set to return to the XI on Monday, with Sergi Roberto and Fermin Lopez potentially dropping down to the bench for the visit of Real Sociedad.

Ferran Torres and Joao Felix are also bidding to feature in the final third of the field, but it is unlikely that either Lamine Yamal or Robert Lewandowski will drop out.

Andreas Christensen is currently Xavi’s preferred option in the number six position, and the Denmark international is again set to feature in that area of the field on Monday night.

Pau Cubarsi, who has just signed a new contract at the club, will line up alongside Ronald Araujo in the middle of the back four.

Meanwhile, Jules Kounde will feature at right-back, and there have been claims that the France international will be on the move during this summer’s transfer window in a big-money deal.

Barcelona possible starting lineup: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Gundogan, Christensen, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha

The powers that be at La Liga giants Barcelona are ready to sit down for contract talks with no fewer than seven members of the club’s first-team squad.

That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who have this weekend provided an insight into the situation.