A day after Jurgen Klopp's shock announcement of his impending departure from Liverpool, it was revealed another European heavyweight would need a new coach for next season.

Following a humbling 3-5 defeat to LaLiga strugglers Villarreal on Saturday, Xavi confirmed he would be quitting his post at Barcelona at the end of the campaign.

Xavi's decision came just four months after he agreed to extend his contract with the Blaugrana until 2025.

While Xavi has pointed to media criticism and Barca's financial struggles as the reasons for walking away, his team - the reigning LaLiga champions - have slipped off dramatically this season.

In recent weeks, Barca have been hammered by Real Madrid in the final of the Supercopa de Espana, and lost to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey, while their hopes of retaining the league title are growing increasingly slim.

But where has it all gone wrong? 

2022-23: Two trophies but European failure

After a second-placed finish in 2021-22, Barca recruited heavily for Xavi's first full season in charge, despite their financial difficulties, as they looked to usher in success in the post-Lionel Messi era.

Robert Lewandowski arrived from Bayern Munich, with Barca spending €45million on a soon-to-be 34-year-old to rejuvenate their attack. Raphinha and Joules Kounde also signed in big-money moves, with Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin, Marcos Alonso and Franck Kessie joining on free transfers.

Ultimately, their business paid off. Barca won LaLiga at a canter, finishing 10 points clear of Madrid, while also defeating Los Blancos in the Supercopa de Espana final.

Xavi's success was built on a rock-solid defence: Barca conceded only 20 goals in LaLiga, 13 fewer than any other side, at an average of 0.5 per game. Their expected goals against (xGA) of 33.9 was also the second-lowest in the division, with only Real Sociedad (33.3) managing a lower total. However, that overperformance of 13.9 also suggested that defensive solidity may not have been sustainable.

That being said, Barca only faced 331 shots across 38 league matches – 8.7 per game on average – again, the lowest tally in LaLiga. They faced 56 shots fewer than any other side (Celta Vigo – 387), while they allowed 91 less than Real Madrid (422). The Blaugrana also faced fewer shots on target (109) than any other team in Spain's top tier.

Going the other way, only Madrid (75), scored more goals in LaLiga last season than Barca (70), though Xavi’s team did underperform their xG (77) despite having Lewandowski in fine form. The Poland international netted 23 goals from a non-penalty xG of 23.8, with an impressive shot conversion rate of 17 per cent. 

Yet in Europe, Barca could not get going. They lost three of their six group-stage matches, only managing to win against Viktoria Plzen (home and away), as their inadequacies were shown up by Bayern Munich and Inter. The Blaugrana could not even secure a Europa League place as consolidation, as they lost 4-3 to Manchester United over a two-legged play-off.

2023-24: Misfiring in attack and underperforming at the back

So, where has it gone wrong this season? Well, rather than conceding fewer goals than they should have done, Barca are now conceding more than they ought to have done based on the quality of shots they have faced and opportunities they have given up.

Barca have shipped 29 goals from their 21 LaLiga matches – only seven sides in the competition have conceded more goals so far this term. They are averaging 1.3 goals against per match.

Yet their 23.6 xGA is the third-lowest in LaLiga – essentially, Barca have conceded five goals more than would have been anticipated based on the quality of opportunities their opponents have created.

Barca have only faced 225 shots, which is a total bettered by only Madrid (217) and Valencia (212). However, their average of 10.7 shots conceded per game is already two higher than it was over the entirety of last season.

At the other end, Xavi's side have mustered the highest xG in the top flight (49), yet they have only managed 43 goals. That is still the third-highest total in LaLiga, but it is a clear and sizeable underperformance.

Even the ever-reliable Lewandowski has suffered. Now 35, he has scored six non-penalty goals from a non-penalty xG of 10.3, while his shot conversion rate has dropped to 13.3 per cent.

All in all, it could be far worse, and Barca have also been hit by injuries to the likes of Pedri and Gavi.

Bad fortune and poor finishing are part of the problem, but ultimately, it is a coach's job to fix it. Xavi looks to be running out of ideas, so calling it quits was perhaps inevitable.

Girona reclaimed top spot in La Liga after Portu’s first-half strike was enough to lift them to 1-0 win over struggling Celta Vigo.

The visitors were looking to bounce back from their disappointing Copa Del Rey quarter-final loss to 10-man Mallorca and quickly found themselves on the front foot at Estadio de Balaidos.

While Celta keeper Vicente Guaita had produced some fine saves to prevent his side from falling behind early, there was little he could do when Portu fired home in the 20th minute.

The hosts looked brighter as the break approached, but created little after half-time as their side slumped to another worrying defeat in their relegation battle.

Girona had a chance to take an early lead when Yangel Herrera fired into the side-netting from the edge of the area seconds before the 10-minute mark.

Artem Dovbyk tried next, forcing Celta keeper Guaita to tip over when his nodded effort from Savio’s cross looked destined to dip under the crossbar, and the former Palace stopper was almost immediately called back into action, denying the hosts with a fine save from a corner.

The visitors capitalised on their hosts’ defensive lapses, Renato Tapia struggling to track as Girona carved space deep inside his side’s half and Unai Nunez found himself outsmarted by Miguel Gutierrez, who slipped the ball to Portu.

The winger obliged, patiently edging forward before firing low past Guaita from just outside the six-yard box, and might have doubled the lead had Dovbyk’s cross soon after not narrowly evaded his slide at the far post.

Viktor Tsygankov fired over before Celta finally enjoyed a brief attacking spell, but were denied an equaliser when Paulo Gazzaniga picked a free-kick out of the air, then tipped Jorgen Strand Larsen’s header over the crossbar to preserve the lead.

Celta were settling into the contest, however, and had a golden opportunity when Aleix Garcia lost the ball inside his own half, but Anastasios Douvikas’ resultant effort was disappointingly soft and made easy work for Gazzaniga.

There were few chances for either opponent as the second half got under way and Girona wasted a  promising drive into the area, pinging the ball between players before losing control, while the home support grew restless with the struggling outfit.

Miguel Rodriguez, one of four second-half substitutions for Rafael Benitez, provided a spark when he drove inside the 18-yard box and did well to control the ball under pressure, but was dispossessed before he could attempt a shot.

Guaita saved Garcia’s deflected effort to keep his side in the contest, and while Oscar Mingueza had a half-chance for the hosts it was duly denied by Daley Blind’s block before Gazzaniga was called into a stoppage-time save to seal the victory.

Barcelona manager Xavi has announced he will leave the club at the end of the season.

Xavi’s position has been under the spotlight as the LaLiga champions have fallen behind Real Madrid and Girona at the top of the table.

Following Saturday’s 5-3 home defeat by Villarreal, Xavi posted a message on the club’s social media account confirming his departure.

“I want to announce that on June 30 I will no longer continue as the coach at Barca,” Xavi said.

“I think the situation needs to change course, and as a culer (Barca fan), I cannot allow the current situation.”

Real Madrid returned to the LaLiga summit as Carlo Ancelotti’s men came from behind to win 2-1 at Las Palmas.

Having fallen behind to Javier Munoz’s 53rd-minute goal, Real – without the suspended Jude Bellingham – hit back with Vinicius Junior equalising before Aurelien Tchouameni notched the winner with six minutes of normal time remaining.

A fifth successive league win for Los Blancos sees them move two points above Girona, who play at Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Third-placed Barcelona are 10 points off the top after two stoppage-time Villarreal goals saw the champions beaten 5-3 in a thrilling contest at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Trailing 2-0 via efforts either side of the break from Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach, Barca suddenly turned things around with strikes from Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and an Eric Bailly own goal in quick succession.

Villarreal then brought the score back level through Goncalo Guedes’ 84th-minute finish, before Alexander Sorloth and Jose Luis Morales added goals deep into stoppage time to complete a stunning comeback from the visitors and make it it back-to-back defeats for Xavi’s men, beaten 4-2 after extra time at Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich are two points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen having won 3-2 at Augsburg.

Teenager Aleksandar Pavlovic, with his first Bayern goal, and Alphonso Davies put the visitors in command at the interval.

Harry Kane’s 23rd Bundesliga goal, sandwiched between a Ermedin Demirovic double, eventually proved the difference.

Leverkusen subsequently dropped points as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Borussia Monchengladbach.

Barcelona suffered a second defeat in four days as two Villarreal goals in stoppage time saw Xavi’s men beaten 5-3 in a thrilling contest at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Trailing 2-0 via efforts either side of the break from Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach, Barca suddenly turned things around with strikes from Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and an Eric Bailly own goal in quick succession.

Villarreal then brought things back level through Goncalo Guedes’ 84th-minute finish, before Alexander Sorloth and Jose Luis Morales added goals deep into stoppage time to complete a stunning comeback from the visitors.

Making it back-to-back defeats after Wednesday’s 4-2 extra-time Copa del Rey loss at Athletic Bilbao, the result leaves LaLiga champions Barcelona 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Las Palmas earlier on Saturday.

An early attack by Villarreal saw them put the ball in the net in the third minute, but Alex Baena’s effort was disallowed for offside.

Their goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen was then called into action to save a Lamine Yamal effort and, in some style, tip over Joao Felix’s strike before the visitors again had a goal chalked off midway through the first half.

This time Moreno was the scorer, with offside given – following a VAR review – against Sorloth, who did not touch the ball but was adjudged to have been interfering with play.

The breakthrough then came for Villarreal in the 41st minute with the front pair combining, Sorloth laying a pass from the left and Moreno firing past Inaki Pena.

After Xavi made three substitutions at the break, replacing Hector Fort, Andreas Christensen and Oriel Romeu with Joao Cancelo, Pau Cubarsi and Pedri, things got even worse for Barca nine minutes into the second half as Villarreal doubled their advantage.

Ex-Barca man Akhomach punished his former employers as he seized upon Cancelo’s failed attempt to clear, going around Pena and slotting in.

Barca swiftly reduced the deficit, Gundogan sweeping the ball into the corner on the hour mark having been teed up Robert Lewandowski’s backheel.

They were then back on level terms eight minutes later, with Gundogan providing an assist as Pedri lashed past Jorgensen.

And the emphatic response continued, with Barca taking the lead another three minutes on from that, with Gundogan again involved as his free-kick was inadvertently headed into his own net by Bailly.

It was some turnaround – and there was still more drama to come, first with Villarreal bouncing back to make things all square again thanks to substitute Guedes’ powerful finish past Pena.

As the game entered stoppage time the ball struck Villarreal’s Santi Comesana in the box and a VAR check for handball ensued, but the decision was no penalty, much to Xavi’s dismay.

A further twist then came in the ninth minute of added time as Sorloth’s finish put the away side back in front, and a remarkable end to a breathtaking game then saw Morales, another substitute, make it 5-3 with 102 minutes on the clock.

Barcelona have been dealt a double injury blow with the Catalans revealing that Alejandro Balde will undergo hamstring surgery in Finland.

Fellow defender Sergio Roberto is also set for a spell on the sidelines with an Achilles problem.

“Tests show that first-team player Alejandro Balde has an injury to the tendon in his right hamstring,” Barcelona said on X, formerly Twitter.

“In the coming days he will undergo a surgical procedure at the hands of Dr Lasse Lempainen, under the supervision of the club’s medical staff, in Turku, Finland.

“Once the procedure has been carried out a new statement will be released.”

On their club captain, who has had an injury-hit season, Barcelona said: “First-team player Sergi Roberto has a problem in his left Achilles tendon.

“The player is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.”

Barcelona return to LaLiga action against Villarreal on Saturday seeking to bounce back from their midweek Copa del Rey defeat at Athletic Bilbao.

They have won their last three league games and beat Villarreal 4-3 away in August.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has hit back at Barcelona in a row between the rival clubs over refereeing standards.

Title-chasing Real controversially beat bottom side Almeria 3-2 in LaLiga last weekend after a number of contentious VAR calls went in their favour.

Commenting on what occurred, Barca boss Xavi claimed his side could not expect such luck with refereeing decisions.

“I already said in Getafe that it was going to be very difficult to win this league,” said Xavi, whose side are seven points behind second-placed Real. “There are things that we do not control, everyone has seen it.”

Barca president Joan Laporta went even further in his criticisms, suggesting the whole competition had been “corrupted” by the Almeria controversies.

Ancelotti responded on Friday with a thinly veiled reference to the ongoing investigation into Barcelona and alleged historic payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee.

“I don’t like to get into this kind of controversy,” told reporters Ancelotti at a press conference carried by the club’s website to preview Saturday’s game at Las Palmas.

“There’s been a lot of talk this week and I think the same as I said before. We don’t have to divert the issue, everyone knows what has happened in Spanish football over the last 20 years.

“That’s the problem of Spanish football, not the league being adulterated, because it isn’t. Spanish football has had a problem and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Guardia Civil are carrying out investigations and we have to give them time and patience.”

Ancelotti expects his team to rally after being questioned this week in the aftermath of the dramatic Almeria game, in which Real fought back from 2-0 down to win in the last minute.

He said: “We will try to perform at our best in a game that could be difficult because Las Palmas play very good football and defend really well. It’s going to be a demanding game.

“We’re motivated to get back to playing at our best and be more solid at the back. This week has been good for us, we’ve rested. The team is in good shape.”

Ancelotti will have to make one notable change to his line-up, with England midfielder Jude Bellingham suspended after clocking up his fifth LaLiga booking last week.

Ancelotti said: “We’ve been able to make up for the absence of important players many times and we’ll do the same again.”

Barcelona boss Xavi is wary of the dangers that a “very aggressive” Villarreal side may pose as they prepare to meet in La Liga on Saturday.

Barca come into the match on a three-match winning streak in the league but sit eight points behind league leaders Girona, who have played one game more.

At the opposite end of the table, Villarreal are lingering just five points above the drop zone and are without a win in their last three in the league.

Xavi understands Saturday’s opponents are going through a tough spell but is still alert to their threat.

Quoted on Barcelona’s official website, he said: “Villarreal are going through a bad patch.

“But Marcelino’s teams are always very aggressive and well-organised, and work hard on defence. They still have a lot of standout players who can make all the difference.

“We still have every chance of catching up in the league and these next two games at home are a key part of that. And the team is very united, we have a very strong-minded squad. I have never seen a squad with so much human quality in my whole career.”

Barcelona are currently suffering with several injury issues which have depleted their squad slightly, which have seen the likes of youngsters Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Hector Fort get regular game time.

Those on the injury list include Gavi, Marcos Alonso, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inigo Martinez, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde.

Xavi has praised his young players for stepping up to the mark in recent games.

He added: “At their ages they shouldn’t be shouldered with these responsibilities, but given our current situation it’s what we have to do.

“They are ready to play and a lot of credit has to go to Lamine, Cubarsi and Fort. They are the present and future of the club and that’s very good news for Barca.”

Barcelona narrowly came out on top in a seven-goal thriller the last time the two sides met, Robert Lewandowski’s goal clinching a 4-3 win for the Catalan side.

Villarreal boss Marcelinho is expecting the best of Barcelona and thinks his team are becoming more competitive.

He said: “They’re a team that has only lost two games. It’s true that they are conceding more than last year and that is taking points away from them and, although they are not at their very best, I’m expecting a good Barca side.

“The most important thing in football is consistency. We’re more competitive now but at specific moments we’re being punished too much by our opponents’ finishing, which we often lack.

“We’re not always showing that level on a regular basis and our job is to identify why and work on it.”

Brazil defender Eder Militao has signed a contract extension with Real Madrid until the summer of 2028.

Militao, 26, is currently recovering from a long-term ACL knee injury suffered during the opening match of the LaLiga season on August 12.

The centre-back joined Real Madrid from Porto in the summer of 2019 and has made 143 appearances, scoring 11 goals.

During his time at the Bernabeu, Militao has helped Los Blancos win the Champions League as well as two LaLiga titles.

A short statement on the club website read: “Real Madrid and Eder Militao have agreed to extend their player’s contract with the club until 30 June 2028.”

As well as his nine trophies with Real Madrid, Militao also won the 2019 Copa America with Brazil and has so far been capped 30 times by the Selecao.

Artem Dovbyk scored a seven-minute first-half hat-trick to inspire Girona to a thumping 5-1 win over Sevilla in LaLiga which took them back to the top of the table.

Girona moved a point clear of Real Madrid, who have a game in hand, with the capital club beating Almeria 3-2 earlier on Sunday.

Sevilla scored first, but Dovbyk responded with three goals inside the opening 20 minutes before Viktor Tsygankov and Cristhian Stuani sealed a dominant win.

Isaac Romero, who scored twice on his first Sevilla start last week, netted the opener after 10 minutes.

But Ukrainian striker Dovbyk equalised in the 13th minute as he got on the end of Savio’s cross to nod in.

The game two players were involved in Girona’s second two minutes later, Savio slipping in Portu, who cut the ball back for the well-positioned Dovbyk to tap home from close-range.

And Dovbyk completed his treble in the 19th minute.

The striker drove inside from the right, cutting on to his left foot before producing a wonderful driven shot into the bottom right corner.

It took the summer signing’s tally in his debut LaLiga season to 14 goals.

After the break the hosts added a fourth courtesy of Tsygankov in the 56th minute.

Savio ran down the left and his driven pass found Tsygankov in the centre, with the winger finishing first time past Marko Dmitrovic.

Stuani scored in the 89th minute to round off the emphatic win.

Jude Bellingham inspired Real Madrid with a goal and an assist as they came from two goals down to earn a last-gasp 3-2 win over rock-bottom Almeria in LaLiga.

The visitors hit the front inside a minute through Largie Ramazani and doubled their lead at the end of the first half when Edgar Gonzalez slammed a shot into the top corner from outside the area.

Bellingham kick-started Madrid’s comeback from the penalty spot in the 57th minute and they were on level terms 10 minutes later when Vinicius Junior nudged home from inside the area.

The game looked to be heading for a draw, but Madrid snatched the points nine minutes into stoppage time when Bellingham nodded across for Dani Carvajal, who poked home at the back post.

Osasuna made it back-to-back wins with a 3-2 victory over Getafe.

David Garcia edged the hosts in front inside 10 minutes with a close-range finish and they doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark through Iker Munoz.

Getafe fought back to level terms with two goals in four second-half minutes, Borja Mayoral bringing the visitors back into the contest and Nemanja Maksimovic making it 2-2, but Jesus Areso’s intended cross from near the corner flag ended up in the back of the net via a post to give Osasuna all three points.

In Germany, Bayern Munich slipped to a shock 1-0 home defeat to Werder Bremen to lose further ground to Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

The visitors, who had Justin Njinmah’s strike ruled out in the 25th minute after a VAR check, were not to be denied when Mitchell Weiser cut in from the left and fired into the roof of the net to give them a deserved lead.

Goalkeeper Michael Zetterer denied Leroy Sane and Mathys Tel late on to earn Werder a first league win over Munich since 2008.

Augsburg came from a goal down to beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 at Borussia Park.

Jordan Pefok bundled home from close range to give the hosts a lead, but Augsburg hit back in the second half.

Phillip Tietz brought Augsburg level with a neat header two minutes into the half and the winner came four minutes later as Arne Engels found the bottom corner from inside the box to help Augsburg move above their opponents in the table.

In Serie A, Szymon Zurkowski scored a hat-trick to help Empoli move within two points of safety with a 3-0 win over Monza.

Zurkowski put the hosts in front in superb fashion with a spectacular volley and doubled their lead with a header seven minutes before the break before he rounded off his treble with a right-footed tap-in after the break.

Frosinone came from behind to end a run of five straight defeats with a 3-1 win over Cagliari.

Sulemana bagged his first Serie A goal to give Cagliari a half-time lead, but Frosinone scored three times after the break.

Luca Mazzitelli’s pinpoint header brought them level before Matias Soule found the top corner from a free-kick and Kaio Jorge added a third in stoppage time.

Bottom side Salernitana slipped to their 13th league defeat of the season as they lost 2-1 to Genoa.

Salernitana edged in front in the second minute thanks to Agustin Martegani, but they were not ahead for long as Mateo Retegui equalised 10 minutes later and Albert Gudmundsson’s penalty secured Genoa’s comeback victory.

Jude Bellingham starred again as Real Madrid fought back from two goals down to beat rock-bottom Almeria 3-2 in an incident-packed clash at the Bernabeu.

Following a mixed week that saw them beat Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup before being knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Atletico Madrid, Real looked on course for a shock defeat as winless Almeria led 2-0 at half-time through Largie Ramazani and Edgar Gonzalez goals.

But Real, benefitting from three key VAR decisions going in their favour, turned things around with Bellingham starting the revival with a penalty – his 18th goal of the season – before Vinicius Junior equalised.

Real then laid siege to the Almeria goal and, in the ninth minute of stoppage time, Brahim Diaz picked out Bellingham at the far post and the 20-year-old’s header back across the area was turned home by Dani Carvajal for a dramatic winner.

Real’s last-16 cup defeat to Atletico went to extra time on Thursday and Carlo Ancelotti’s men looked as if they were still half asleep as Almeria took a shock lead inside 40 seconds on Sunday.

Nacho Fernandez’s intended pass to left-back Ferland Mendy was intercepted by Sergio Arribas and Almeria clinically took advantage, captain Lucas Robertone ending up sliding the ball through to Ramazani to fire past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

That should have been an early wake-up call for Real, but it was not heeded by the 14-time European champions.

They were sloppy in possession and lacked inspiration going forward, and the closest they came to making it 1-1 was Almeria defender Juan Chumi deflecting a cross onto the roof of his own net.

And things got worse for the title-chasing hosts in the 43rd minute when Almeria doubled their lead.

Nacho was again involved but few could have expected his poor clearance to be so emphatically punished, with Gonzalez unleashing a 25-year-old thunderbolt that flew into Kepa’s top corner.

That was a rare goal from the 26-year-old defensive midfielder and, with the score 2-0 at half-time, left Almeria dreaming of a famous win.

Ancelotti, clearly unimpressed at what he was seeing, made three changes at the break and a fired-up Real pulled a goal back inside 10 minutes.

Almeria players were furious to see a penalty awarded for handball against Kaiky, a decision made following a VAR review, but Bellingham stayed calm amongst the furore to roll his penalty down the centre of the goal.

If Almeria were upset up that incident, they were incandescent six minutes later when they had a goal to put them 3-1 up ruled out following another VAR intervention.

Real youth-team product Arribas thought he had scored against his former club after a counter-attack, but the goal was chalked off due to a flailing arm from Dion Lopy into the face of Bellingham after the England man had given away possession in midfield.

That was not the last of the VAR controversies either, with Vinicius’ 68th-minute equaliser eventually being given after another lengthy review.

Referee Francisco Hernandez Maeso had initially ruled out the goal for handball against the Brazil winger, but that was overruled following replays with ball deemed to have hit the forward’s shoulder, leaving Almeria coach Gaizka Garitano – who would end up being red carded in stoppage time – again unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

Having drawn level, Real set about searching for a winner and Bellingham saw his curled effort ruled out for offside before Almeria goalkeeper Luis Maximiano superbly denied Vinicius.

Bellingham also saw a spectacular overhead kick go inches wide but, with time almost up, Real would finally get the breakthrough as Carvajal pounced on Bellingham’s knock-down.

Frenkie De Jong insists Barcelona will carry on fighting to defend their LaLiga crown.

The champions are fourth, eight points behind surprise leaders Girona, as they prepare to return to league action at Real Betis on Sunday after four successive cup games.

With Real Madrid seemingly well placed to strike, just a point off the top with a game in hand, Barca now look like rank outsiders in the title race but playmaker De Jong is not giving up.

The Dutchman told the club’s website: “There are three titles still to play for. We’re in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, we’re still in the Champions League and we’re going to do everything possible to get back into contention in LaLiga.

“That depends on Madrid and Girona and we can’t do anything about that, but I do think we have the squad and if we improve a few things we have a very good chance of winning a lot of the games we have left.

“I think we can still fight for the league. We know we have to improve but the quality is there.

“We’re lacking decisiveness, concentration sometimes. We have to improve that and focus all game. If we do that, we have a very good squad to fight for every title.”

Barcelona suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Real in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia last weekend.

It was a humbling experience but De Jong does not think too much should be read into it.

“We didn’t play well in that game, but one game doesn’t make a season,” said the 26-year-old, who made his 200th appearance for Barca in the midweek Copa del Rey win at Unionistas Salamanca.

“We lost to Madrid and deservedly so. It was a fair result.

“But losing one game – and we lost it badly – doesn’t mean we’re having a bad season.”

Barca take on a Betis side hoping to build on claiming their first league win since November as they edged out Granada last weekend.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini said: “They did not have a good performance in the Super Cup but they are still in three competitions.

“They are still competing for the top places. They may be a few points lower but there is an enormous amount of time to try to fight back.

“If we believe that we are going to find a Barcelona in crisis, we would be very wrong. We expect a tough opponent.”

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti insists there is no debate within the club over the number one goalkeeper.

Andriy Lunin and Kepa Arrizabalaga have been in and out of the side over recent weeks, with both coming under fire for high-profile mistakes, as Ancelotti continued rotating his keepers in the long-term absence of Thibaut Courtois.

Lunin made an error which contributed to Real’s Copa dey Rey exit at the hands of rivals Atletico Madrid in midweek, with Ancelotti confirming immediately after that Kepa would return for Sunday’s LaLiga clash at home to Almeria.

“There are no immaculate goalkeepers. There are mistakes and both Kepa and Lunin have made them,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“There is no internal debate. The debate is outside, but not inside. There is no debate here. I choose the goalkeeper and he is done.”

A number of Real players were criticised after the defeat by Atletico which came just four days after they won the Spanish Super Cup with a 4-1 victory over Barcelona in Riyadh.

Aurelien Tchouameni was picked out for his role in Antoine Griezmann’s goal which put Atletico 3-2 up in extra time.

Ancelotti admitted the France midfielder could have done better but is confident his squad remain in good shape.

“He (Tchouameni) played the Super Cup final at his best level, perhaps his best game. The cup match he did not play from the beginning because he was tired,” Ancelotti added.

“He came on, he tried to give what could to help. He could have done better on Griezmann’s goal, yes, in this sense there are no doubts.

“I listen and try to see what is happening in the dressing room environment. We continue in a good dynamic and we are motivated. The team is competing and playing football very well.”

Real have lost just once in LaLiga this season but sit second, a point behind surprise frontrunners Girona, albeit with a game in hand.

Ancelotti’s men welcome an Almeria side who are cut adrift at the foot of the table with just six points having failed to win any of their 20 matches so far.

The 64-year-old is keen to see Los Blancos take advantage of a run of league matches before the Champions League returns in February.

“It is an important moment of the season because we have five league games before the Champions League and we want to do well in these games,” Ancelotti said.

“We are focused on tomorrow’s game and we play against a team in which the data says that it has six points.

“It is a team to respect and with quality. They are still alive and tomorrow they’re going to fight to win the game. We have to be prepared.”

Girona moved top of the LaLiga table but failed to fully capitalise after being held to a frustrating goalless draw at rock -bottom Almeria.

With Real Madrid and Barcelona in Saudi Arabia for Sunday evening’s Spanish Super Cup final, Michel Sanchez’s in-form side had a major opportunity to put pressure on their title rivals.

Yet they climbed only a point above Real after failing to break down struggling opposition without a league win all season.

A disappointing afternoon for the high-flying visitors at Power Horse Stadium was compounded by midfielder Aleix Garcia being sent off 10 minutes from time for a last-man challenge on Gonzalo Melero.

The result could have been worse as struggling Almeria, who are 10 points from safety after taking only six points from 20 games this term, had the better of the limited chances.

Brazilian forward Leo Baptistao forced a fine save out of Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga before Garcia’s dismissal left the away side holding on in the final stages.