The big story from Barcelona’s final competitive match of 2023 was the reported passionate dressing room speech given by manager Xavi Hernández at halftime of their La Liga game against Almería, which was tied at 1-1 after an apathetic, lethargic performance by the home side in the opening period.
Xavi reportedly urged his team to play with more passion and commitment, and every report seems to agree that the coach’s voice was a lot louder than usual which surprised some of the players, including striker Robert Lewandowski who one report says was one of the main targets of Xavi’s angry plea.