Since the departure of Lionel Messi, here’s Barcelona’s disappointing free-kick record, despite the arrival of Raphinha and Lewandowski.
FC Barcelona has benefited greatly from the hiring of Xavi Hernandez in many ways, not the least of which is the fact that the team has not yet suffered a La Liga road defeat under the Spaniard.
There are still areas, though, where Barça might yet do better. One such element would be the team’s poor free-kick accuracy, especially following Lionel Messi’s departure.
Even a year after leaving Barça, Messi still commands the free-kick numbers, despite the fact that Xavi never had the good fortune to manage the Argentine international.
According to SPORT, Barcelona has gone 15 months without scoring from a direct free-kick, with Messi scoring the last goal. It was the Argentine’s 50th direct free-kick goal, and it was scored early in May 2021 against Valencia.
Numerous players have attempted direct free kicks for Barcelona since his departure, but none of them have quite been successful in scoring.
For instance, the Blaugrana have had four opportunities to take free kicks from the edge of the box this season. Raphinha, a former star for Leeds United, has attempted three of them, and Ansu Fati has attempted the fourth.
Raphinha, who was regarded as a long-range expert, especially from set-piece scenarios, was unable to find the back of the net.
Raphinha and Fati, for example, are capable of beginning to assert their authority in the Barcelona frontline due to their technical prowess. There is also hope that things will soon turn around and the Catalans will once more be a threat from set pieces.
Given that breaking down defenses has occasionally been one of Barcelona’s biggest challenges under Xavi’s leadership, enhancing that area may go a long way toward making the team appear more effective in front of goal.
