With Real Madrid having surprisingly stumbled at Vallecas on Monday night, the stage was set at El Sadar for Barcelona to take the three points which would keep them top of La Liga until the turn of the year.
Playing three left-backs in his back four against one of the form teams in the Spanish top flight in Osasuna was therefore a strange selection from Xavi.
The team from Pamplona never make it easy for the Catalans when at home, so going a goal down early in proceedings was wholly predictable from Barca’s point of view.
It was just the fifth league goal that Barcelona had conceded since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, but the hunger and desire of the hosts to build on their lead was in stark contrast to the visitors who had to be content - at that stage - with the same old Xavi playbook.