Barcelona has only conceded one goal in eight La Liga games, which puts them in first place heading into the season's first Clasico.
Although Barca's performance levels have declined since the international break, they are still managing to produce results, unlike the previous campaign.
After making significant investments and taking significant financial risks, Xavi and the club understand how important it is to once again be Champions League contenders. They are currently on the outside looking in, and if they want to prevent another devastating relegation to the Europa League, they must win their remaining games.
It's not that they struggled against Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. They appear to be more competitive and self-assured this time around compared to their performances under Ronald Koeman last year, and they have honestly been in a position to win every game.
However, in these games, the small things count, and Xavi made expensive errors that he'll need to undo on Wednesday to give his squad the best chance to turn the tide, win, and go back on track to reach their objective of moving on to the knockout rounds.
1. The Left-back Position
The first mistake Xavi made in both games and one he must not do again was starting Marcos Alonso instead of Alejandro Balde.
Balde has proven to be their greatest left-back this year and is deserving of playing in important matches. Age is not a factor in this. We have learned from Pedri and Gavi that if you are good enough, you are old enough.
Barça will continue to have a lot of the ball with Alonso, but they will be without a vital offensive threat down the left wing who is both creative and dangerous. This is crucial because it's becoming increasingly apparent that none of the left wingers on the squad are rising to the occasion and proving they can be relied upon regularly.
2. The Starting Left Winger.
Despite numerous opportunities, Raphinha appears to be floundering on that left side.
Although he can work hard, Ferran Torres still lacks confidence and is still not much more than a backup option. Ansu Fati, who is presumably the man of the future in this position, is currently unfit, at least in the manager's opinion.
Ousmane Dembele is currently the finest player to use there. Even though he is more effective on the right, he is perfectly at ease playing on the left and even shown flashes of brilliance there last season. He is important to this club, and one of the reasons is because of his versatility.
Xavi will be able to move Raphinha back to the right where he may be the most dangerous by playing Dembele on the left. Xavi must get this important detail correct. This attacking formation of Balde and Dembele on one side, Raphinha on the other, and Robert Lewandowski in the middle eliminates the predictability of simply bombing up one side and delivering crosses.
Raphinha is a fantastic right winger because he can provide support but can cut in and frighten opponents with his strong striking ability. Even with Inter seated deeply, Dembele and Balde can be a toolbox on the opposing side.
3. The Midfield Setup
The midfielders will be crucial in this match, though, as we do anticipate the Italians to play quite defensively. And here is the point at which the hardest decision of them all must be made.
In my view, Xavi should replace Gavi with Frenkie de Jong. Barcelona won't require a ball winner in this match because Inter will hand the ball to them automatically. Sergio Busquets, Pedri, and Frenkie are the greatest playmakers they need in the midfield.
Frenkie offers you the added advantage of having another target man who is skilled at making runs into the box, relieving pressure off Lewandowski. He is also considerably more adept than Gavi in dribbling through the middle of the field. In fact, Frenkie is really good at this skill, whilst the young Spaniard hasn't even begun to master it.
You have to question if this is where Xavi's mind was already at by starting the Dutchman on the bench against Celta. Sadly, I don't think so. I think that Xavi will ultimately choose Gavi, who played extremely hard and is still unstoppable for club and country.
The hardest decision Xavi will have to make will be to pick Frenkie, but in a game that may make or break the season, he must do it to take full advantage of tactical options.
I think Frenkie is the component that's been missing that best explains what Barca hasn't been doing lately. Barcelona's midfield needs to be more playmaking in order to relieve the attackers solely of this responsibility. One of the best in the world is still Frenkie.
Whatever happens on Wednesday, Xavi will be responsible. He has access to enough data to understand what has and has not worked. He will have the utmost fan support and the Camp Nou will be roaring.
The manager must now play his part by fielding the team that has the highest chance of demolishing the blue and black wall. He still has enough talent, despite all of the injuries. To solve the problem, he merely needs to arrange the pieces correctly.
The best managers exhibit their worth in these circumstances. Xavi needs to do more.
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