Xavi’s Barcelona by the numbers, how is he doing compared to last season?

It’s been over a year since Barcelona’s Catalan-born former player Xavi Hernandez took the helm. Less than two weeks ago, he and his charges won their first trophy when Barca defeated their Madrid rivals in the final El Clásico of the Super Cup by the difference of a class. But let’s take a look at how Xavi managed to push the Blaugranas’ performance in numbers.

To begin with, it should be recalled that the Dutch coach Ronald Koeman led the team from the heart of Catalonia until November 2021, before the Terrassa, Spain native replaced him due to disappointing results that resulted in tenth place in the table and certainly unconvincing game performances.

Now for the numbers. Last season, the Camp Nou squad averaged 1.79 goals per game at the end of the season, while in the current campaign they hold an average of 2.19 so far.

In the opposite statistic, the average of goals scored per game, they have moved from the figure of 1 goal per game to 0.38. It’s worth adding to this that so far in this season of La Liga, Xavi’s charges have only conceded 6 goals in 17 matches.

The Spanish league leader has also progressed from last year’s figure of 1.78 to 2.2 in the xG per game column, i.e. expected goals per game. In terms of expected goals scored, Busquets and co. dropped from 1.04 to 0.78.

The average points per game has also moved up under Xavi’s leadership, from 1.92 in the 21/22 season to a solid 2.56. Even shooting attempts are seeing more for the fans of the blue and red, going from 13.45 shots per game to the current 16.62.

Barca’s typically high ball possession percentage numbers have also increased a little bit on average per game, specifically from 64.2% to 64.7%.

Finally, an addition to the aforementioned Spanish Super Cup triumph. The age-old rival from Santiago Bernabeu hasn’t lost a final since 2018. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has even waited for a final defeat since 2010.

Sources: Transfermarkt, Livesport