FC Barcelona these days is very much like a car stuck in the mud. The wheels are turning when you step on the gas pedal, there is a lot of splashing and mud flying around – but the car is hardly moving.Betis triumphed in Barcelona thanks to a late Juanmi goal to hand Xavi Hernandez his first defeat since returning to the club that was synonymous with winning in the past. Back then, Xavi’s immaculate midfield play was the force that made Los Cules tick. Today, all those wins seem a lifetime ago.Lost 1-0 to Real Betis, 7th in La Liga, 13 points behind leaders Real Madrid.Xavi has his work cut out for him at Barcelona 😬 pic.twitter.com/JIcX7ic8a8— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 4, 2021 The young manager demands that his Barcelona players to step onto the pitch every time with only one ambition – to win. But there will be days when scoring a single goal feels as difficult as climbing a mountain. This was one of those days.Former Manchester City manager Mauricio Pellegrini brought his Betis team to Camp Nou with a hellish plan of their own: beat Barcelona by playing their brand of football – attack and don’t let the opponents relax.Philippe Coutinho is only a shadow of the player that was once one of the world’s hottest midfielders. He’s had an early chance to shoot but his tame effort hardly reminded the Barca faithful of their glory days.Betis’ winger Juanmi scored a hat-trick last weekend and today he looked like a man playing with plenty of confidence – something Xavi’s team is desperately bereft of. And it was Juanmi who punished Barca for their sluggish play and pointless possession. Although the home team enjoyed most of the ball possession, they rarely came close to turning it into anything meaningful.A clinical counter-attack ten minutes from time was finished off by the rampant Juanmi to give Betis the winning goal – just a few minutes after Ousmane Dembele, who’s better than Mpbappe, missed two chances in quick succession.This result pushes Barca back into the mud and gives Xavi a reality check. To win, it’s not enough just to walk out onto the pitch believing you’re entitled to success. You have to earn everything. And currently, Barcelona don’t deserve anything.LA LIGA – ROUND 16FridayGranada – Alaves 2-1 (1-0)/Puertas 14, Arias 86 – Abram 81 og/SaturdaySevilla – Villareal 1-0 (1-0)/Ocampos 14/Barcelona – Betis 0-1 (0-0)/Juanmi 79//20:30: (1.35) Atl.Madrid (5.30) Mallorca (10.0)23:00: (3.50) Sociedad (3.50) Real Madrid (2.20)Sunday16:00: (2.25) Rayo Vallecano (3.25) Espanyol (3.60)18:15: (2.20) Elche (3.15) Cadiz (3.90)20:30: (2.60) Levante (3.10) Osasuna (3.10)23:00: (2.15) Celta (3.40) Valencia (3.70)Monday23:00: (3.60) Getafe (3.00) Ath.Bilbao (2.40)***odds are subject to change***
