Unacceptable Girona loss raises fresh questions about Barcelona’s mentality under Xavi

Xavi is right, the defeat to Girona on Saturday was an encapsulation of Barcelona’s struggles on the season. But it goes even beyond that.

Up front, if we are being realistic, we should admit that for competitive players, there really is no such thing as playing for second place.

That’s not to say there was nothing on the line but pride for the Catalan rivals as they battled it out for a higher place in the standards.

The club, and the managers, will understand this better than anyone.

There was significant money on the line, including the chance to play in the upcoming Spanish Supercopa.

This game, and the attitude that was displayed in the second half, was totally unacceptable, and raises concerns about the mentality of these players, and the ability of the manager to communicate the stakes, and motivate his men to fight for a result when it matters.

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Yes, the first half looked good. There was energy, and a sense that the Barca players wanted to put Girona in their place to make up for the shocking, and consequential, loss they suffered at the Estadi Olimpic back in December. This was when the season was really starting to get off the rails.

They got the penalty before halftime. They had the advantage, and looked like the superior team.

The second half, however, looked like an exhibition. They had so many chances to put away the game, but there was no concentration.

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Xavi’s team didn’t come out of the tunnel with an understanding of the importance of the task at hand, and it showed.

I’ll say it again.

Good luck getting players to show inherent internal motivation to compete for second place.

But I’m sorry, Girona has played so far above their level this season. And Barcelona, in spite of the unforeseen challenges outside of their control, has played below theirs. Your little brothers from down the road embarrassed you once again.

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And you know what, it’s not all about winning.

For a club that prides itself on playing football with beauty and technical skill, Girona showed you up this season in that department too.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid continue to be relentless mentality monsters who are focused on getting the win at any cost, whether they deserve it or not on the day.

I have no doubt that you can count Xavi as a man with a championship mindset.

But I really do have my doubts about a lot of these players.

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The summer is around the corner, and Joan Laporta, who was apoplectic watching this game, will have a lot of important thinking to do.

But in the meantime, not all is lost in the all important race for second place with four games to go.

As silly as it sounds to put this down on paper, only one point separates Girona and Barcelona. I would expect the little club from Catalonia to slip up at least once.

Barcelona needs to treat the final fixtures with the gravitas they deserve. The club needs for the team to get the job done, and the players need to show up and prove they are on board to not have two total failures of a season in a row.

If they can’t do that, Laporta and company have all the information they need as they make plans for the transfer window.