It’s time for Xavi to reward Ez Abde with a stay at Barcelona.
The frustration will be the inability to get other forwards out the door, but maybe in the end, it’s not such a bad thing to have so much depth on the forward line.
The thing about Abde, if he stays, is that he can’t be just a squad player.
The value of the Moroccan is that he will compete to become the full-time left winger, and in the process, push his team-mates to work as hard as he is for playing time.
In a game where Xavi lamented the intensity of the opponent in a pre-season friendly, the Barcelona boss should instead learn from Mikel Arteta, and understand that the turnaround at Arsenal has been the combination of quality on the field, with increased demands for physicality and fighting spirit.