Barcelona’s season unravels in a week after shock defeat to Cadiz

Barcelona are set to end their campaign without a major trophy despite resurrecting their season following the appointment of Xavi Hernandez.

After a shaky start to the former midfielder’s reign as manager, the Blaugrana finally found stability, embarking on a 15-game unbeaten run in all competitions. However, they were brought down to earth after exiting the Europa League at the quarter-final stage following a surprise defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou.

As if that wasn't shocking enough, Barcelona’s slim hopes of rivaling Real Madrid for the La Liga title were also ended on Monday when they were beaten by Cadiz.

Blaugrana shocked by Cadiz

Xavi’s side has done many things right in recent months. It’s only fair to acknowledge that the team has improved tremendously since December. However, they were not at their lethal best against Cadiz. The Blaugrana struggled to create clear-cut chances and they missed the ones that came their way.

When Lucas Perez stunned Xavi's men early in the second half with a smart finish, it was evident that the Blaugrana were going to struggle to get back into the game.

Not even the substitutions made by Xavi could impact the game, as the hosts slumped to their second successive defeat after the loss to Frankfurt last week.

Barcelona’s season unravels

A week ago, Barca fans were confident of winning the Europa League and closing the gap on Real Madrid in the race for the La Liga title.

However, everything has unraveled in the space of four days. The defeat to Frankfurt was a huge blow, as it ended the Blaugrana’s only chance of winning silverware this season.

Cadiz have also effectively ended Barcelona’s slim title ambitions, as they now trail Real Madrid by a whopping 15 points with just six league matches left. Xavi said, as quoted by Goal:

"We are angry. We have lost a very good opportunity, a golden one, to differentiate ourselves from the Champions League teams and we are practically saying goodbye to the league. I am angry. We have to play with more determination. We have to do more things. We have trained for this."

"I am the most responsible. We should have shown more enthusiasm. We have to have more desire, it's not acceptable losing against Cadiz. There are seven finals left. Today, we haven't played like it was a final. At home, we have to show more desire and more character."

Barcelona can still finish the season strongly. However, earning a top-four place is the only consolation on offer. A week ago, things were looking far brighter.