Xavi opted to start all three of his January transfer window star acquisitions — for the first time in 2022 — as Barcelona kicked off their Europa League knockout playoff series with a 1-1 first-leg home draw to Napoli.
Adama Traore, Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all arrived in Catalonia during the winter window in a mixture of loan, big money deals and free transfers.
Torres's move to the Camp Nou was heralded as the Catalan giants signing the future Spain No. 9 with former La Masia graduate Traore back where it all began at his boyhood club.
Aubameyang was released from his Arsenal contract — following a high-profile falling out with manager Mikel Arteta — to join Barcelona as a free agent, but all three have joined Xavi's revolution with a point to prove.
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Barcelona attacking trio struggle vs. Napoli
Torres and Aubameyang endured a night to forget against Luciano Spalletti's visiting side with missed chances throughout a frustrating 90 minutes, in front of a restless Camp Nou crowd.
A total of 17 shots — with just five on target — tells the story of Barcelona's problems on the night, with the trio struggling for chemistry as an attacking unit.
Torres's first-half misses came under the spotlight as the Spaniard totaled five attempts, with four off target before the break. Those came as Barcelona were scrambling to make up a first-half deficit courtesy of a 28th-minute opener by Napoli's Piotr Zielinski.
Ferran Torres (5) had more shots than the rest of his teammates combined (3) in the first half vs. Napoli.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 17, 2022
He just needs to start hitting the target. #UEL pic.twitter.com/k9nlCcKXwJ
Torres and Aubameyang looked to switch between left wing and central roles after the restart, with Aubameyang playing a link role for Torres. But the Gabonese international was also guilty of key misses, either side of Torres's spot-kick equalizer in the 59th minute.
Traore enjoyed a better evening on the right, with his pace and inventiveness causing problems before he was replaced by Ousmane Dembele late on. Meanwhile, Torres's personal miss count hit seven before the final whistle.
Xavi's decision to start all three will now come under scrutiny, as Aubameyang looks caught between positions, and Torres suffered a confidence-damaging night.
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How much did Barcelona spend on trio in January transfer window?
Barcelona's ongoing financial troubles made for a patched-up transfer approach in January as Xavi looked for short- and long-term solutions.
Aubameyang's agreement to nullify the final 18 months of his Arsenal contract allowed him to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
The Gunners will also pay his rumored $400,000 per week wages until the end of the season before Barcelona take over his salary on reduced terms.
The Blaugrana remain uncertain how the 'Aubameyang project' will work out in the coming months, and they have reportedly inserted a termination clause into his contract, allowing the club to release him in 2023, without the baggage of his salary.
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Traore's Wolves deal puts him on around $68,000 per week, with Barcelona agreeing to a shared pay deal with the Premier League side for his six-month loan back in Catalonia.
The Spanish winger finds himself in a similar wait-and-see scenario to Aubameyang, with Barcelona holding on to a $40 million purchase clause in the summer.
Wolves are happy to sanction a summer sale, with his progress stagnating at Molineux, but the fee could disrupt a potential move, regardless of his performances.
Torres's situation is more straightforward, after he arrived on a $62 million permanent transfer from Manchester City with huge promise, showing genuine flashes of talent prior to his injury earlier this season.
His comedy of errors against Napoli will come under the microscope in the weeks ahead, but the overall signs look positive, with the pressure on Xavi to build a conducive team around him.
How are Barcelona shaping up in the La Liga Top 4 race?
Regardless of how the Europa League series turns out against Napoli, the clear focus for the team is finishing in the top four in La Liga.
With a title run beyond Xavi and his players in their end-of-season run-in — they are 15 points behind their archrivals Real Madrid — their focus has switched to the essential goal of sealing a Champions League spot at the end of the campaign.
Atletico Madrid's feeble title defense has complicated the picture, with seven teams battling for the top four places. Barcelona, currently in fourth, have Real Madrid, Sevilla and Real Betis ahead of them in the standings and Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad and Villarreal behind them within reach.
With 15 games to go in La Liga, Barcelona will be confident of doing enough to reach their objective and the new forward personnel should help provided they can begin to gel. But testing trips to Real Madrid and Real Betis will decide how tight the final weeks of the season will be for Xavi.
Barcelona's summer transfer window priorities
While the La Liga top-four race and the Europa League chase continue, sights are already set to the summer.
Despite talk of a June move for Borussia Dortmund hitman Erling Haaland, Barcelona's finances and on-pitch inconsistency, has likely edged them down the pecking order for the Norwegian.
Real Madrid remain in the race for him — regardless of their progress on acquiring Kylian Mbappe — with Bayern Munich and Manchester City also making a more compelling case for Haaland compared to Barcelona.
With Aubameyang and Torres tied to the club, alongside Memphis Depay and the injury-hit Ansu Fati, Xavi is likely to focus on solidifying his defense ahead of the 2022-23 season.
The rise of Pedri, Gavi and Nico, alongside Frenkie de Jong, have quelled the need for a midfield overhaul, but Xavi's back line is in need of surgery.
Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba's combined advancing years makes center back and left back both priorities in the coming months, but the development of Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo could tide Barcelona over in the short term, if Xavi's purse is tightened.
