Xavi's credit draining as Barca slump at Shakhtar

Xavi insisted the Catalans are on the right track after winning La Liga last season and their three opening Champions League matches, but a shock 1-0 defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk stopped them dead in their tracks on a chilling Tuesday night in Hamburg. Barca were expected to clinch qualification to the Champions League knock-out rounds but fell woefully short, failing to significantly trouble the Ukrainian champions at any point in the game.

"All the European ghosts of previous years came down on Barcelona," wrote Spanish newspaper Marca. "The eliminations from past years against Bayern, Benfica, and Inter. And yesterday's opponent had a much lower level than all of these." Pressure has started to build on Xavi.

Barcelona have not won the Champions since 2015 and after gambling a chunk of the club's future income to make a slew of signings in 2022, are desperate to reestablish themselves among Europe's elite.