Xavi has just left the morning-training after a heavy tackle by his friend Edmilson. His right-knee made a cracking-sound. It looks like a lenghty injury, but doctor are still examining how serious the injury is.

After Van Bommel, it looks like our strongest midfielder of the moment will have to recover from injury as well. This is a pitty because Van Bommel and Xavi play in the same position. Iniesta looks like his most probable replacement.

Rijkaard still has plenty of options left.

Midfielders : Deco, Iniesta, Edmilson, Marquez, Motta, Gabri.
Also Giuly and Messi are capable of taking Xavi's position.

They are?


Bad news for Barca and Spain, now we'll see the strength of Barcas squad players

Wow Xavi has torn his ACL and will be out for at least 6 months. Cule's I truly feel sorry for you guys, Xavi is a great player and has always been a classy guy. These injuries are devastating.

Also, it looks like he will miss the World Cup. It just gets worse and worse.

BTW here are the links:

http://www.sport.es/

http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/...llo/596889.html

Massive loss. Xavi makes Barca tick and no disrespect to any of the mentioned replacements but they couldn't clean Xavi's boots in that position.

Will be interesting to see what effect this has on the flow of Barcelona

OMFG?

Xavi is out for 6 months?

NO!

6 months!!!!! F*ck... he is one of the players that were truly defining in the middle, and now the World Cup is going to be missing (if Raul does not get better) two key players for the Spanish National Team.

I am truly sorry to hear about the loss of Xavi, but I am more concerned with the national team (you must understand he is a key player in Aragones' squad) and the loss of the best creative mid since pep...

Once again, my condolences...

Xavi is about the only player I really like in Barça's squad, and looking at the World Cup he might miss it, which would be a real shame ofcourse

I think Raúl will be back by then, hopefully he can regain his form aswell.

Unlucky Barça, but at least now they can feel how it is missing one of their key players

Thats not funny, laughing at other people's misfortunes is not the way to be.

Just be happy Raul may not have to be operated, and thats all man.

F*CK!!! Anyone but Xavi 6 F*CKIN MONTHS! SHIT! and without V. Bommel as well.

I guess it's time for Iniesta to shine. Anyone think reinforcements will be bought in the transfer window?

Ballack?

I don't know.

No need to panic. Lets just hope he comes back strong when he does come back, even if it is next year. We have more than enough cover on this team, and will continue our fine play.

I'm certain this will simply give Iniesta more playing time, something this 21 year old 'xavi of the future' could use right now. Van Bommel will be back eventually as well. With Deco's play at a high level now, and the rest of our team as well, I'm not worried, even though of course I'd rather have Xavi than not.

We are still favorites to win La Liga

It is a massive blow but if there's any team that has enough in that department, it's Barca.

It's strange because Barca hardly ever have injuries these days. Such an important player too. I am sure you can bounce back though.

We've had injuuries to Deco, Van Bommel, Belletti, Gabri, Damia, Marquez, Edmilson and Giuly arleady this year.

You just don't notice it with us as much, becuase we have so much talent to cover.

Also, keep in mind that Larsson went out with a similar injury last year at the end of November, and he made it back by the end of the year despite his age. I think we will see Xavi sooner than 6 months, and he will be in the world cup.

I did not know that. Wow, that's pretty astonishing.

I thought only v.Bommel picked up a knock this season.

no, noooo!, not Xavi, he's the most important player in the team...

A very sad day..Hopefully Iniesta will take his chance and shine..but to me Xavi our engine i fear it too much..hopefully tomrrow something will tell i mean if Iniesta can fill his position.

I heard that xavi's season is over and he may not play in the WC2006

Van Bommel is injured too

We are in deep s*** now

No we aren't. We will be fine with Iniesta among others. Deco is playing at such a high level, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Motta and Gabri getting some time there also. Don't forget that Messi can play in that spot as well, with Giuly in his normal place. And with Ezquerro and Larsson able to play up front, we can even drop Ronaldinho back to Deco's spot and roll Deco over to Xavi's spot. There is no need for worry right now at all from a team aspect. Of course it is better to have Van Bommel and Xavi healthy, but we will still be the best team on the pitch whenever we play.

Also, van Bommel will be back in January, so fear not, we have the skill at midfield to win La Liga, the CL, and the Copa del Rey!!

I'm not saying it won't effect us at all, but we have plenty of talent to plug into Xavi's role. Lets just hope we don't get anymore of these tough surprises.


ALSO:

Xavi is having surgery tomorrow morning already. He is young, and he has never had major knee or other injuries, and usually that coresponds to fast healing. I expect we'll see him at the end of the season, and in the world cup.

Come Back Soon Xavi .. Please !

Heh, ok we will win La Liga, CL and Copa del Rey~!11

The most important thing is that he gets fit, don't come back too soon. Just come back. In a strange way it is exciting to see how well Iniesta does, I have strong believes in him, finally he has a long run to prove his worth. Hopefully he does not get injured either.

Iniesta is really good and would make excellent replacement for a couple of games but over the course of the whole season nothing can replace Xavi.

I am glad to see so many here appreciating Xavi because he is often overshadowed by Ronaldinho, Puyol, Etoo and nowadays even Messi and Deco(who imo is awful).

Xavi's injury might be a blessing in disguise for the Spanish Natinal Team in the WC. If he recovers a bit earlier then he might be well rested and hungry for glory in the WC (remember WC02 when many stars were exhausted due to their long season and didn't perform well at all)

FUCK!!! This is fucking awful. Just when we were reaching the status of invincible, this happens. This is a HUGE blow! I know we have plenty of cover in his spot, but Iniesta and van Bommel just can't do half the job Xavi does when he is on the field. And we don't want to move Ronaldinho or Messi around. We should still be able to win La Liga. But CL is going to be tough. Xavi brings so much class to our midfield, class that could help us win the Champions League. And what really sucks is that we will be without Xavi or van Bommel for December, probably our hardest and most important month.

But you know what I think? I think Xavi will make his return April 2nd, in time for El Clasico. That gives him four months. Recoveries usually happen quicker than stated. Until then, we have to draw easier teams in the CL until Xavi returns, which should be in time for the CL Final. If he makes his return April 2nd then he can play the second leg of the quarter-finals, the semifinals, and the final of the CL.

Hopefully he makes as quick a recovery as possible.

Whoa whoa whoa an ACL recovery in 4 months would be an absolute miracle. 6 months to me seems the bare minimum. It used to be up to a year but with the high tech surgeries professional athletes undergo the trauma is significantly reduced. Still, 4 months is virtually impossible.

My condolences to Xavi cause he must be feeling absolutely horrible.
Get Well Soon!

*

However, I think we could see an interesting face-lift to the Barça squad, with Deco having to become a "pivotal figure" once again (A player who is absolutely vital to the squad), we could see him shine. He always seems to perform better the more he is relied on. (For Portugal he's basically their only playmaker) and he performs well for them. He may not be Barça's first engine, but he's an engine alright.

They wondered a couple of seasons ago whether we could fit so many creative midfielders into a lineup, after we signed Deco when we already had Xavi, Ronaldinho etc. Now we'll be able to show them that enough is never enough.

Ooohhh...this is just awful. I obviously support my own club, but I love Barcelona too and I sort of wanted a full Barca squad for the weekend to see how we match up. But this is again good for Deco and hopefully he will now have a chance to prove himself once more. Actually, hopefully not this weekend, but after that, Deco is free to prove himself as much as he can.

The worst feeling in the world. He says he knew it the moment it happened:

i honestly think Barca just lost the league right there. I know that sounds rash, but i think any shot they have of wining (which was good) is gone. thats how important Xavi is. I hope Iniesta can prove me wrong, because Barca deserve the league with the way theyve been playing, but i think this is the biggest blow barca could have received, bigger even than puyol.

Xavi is the best midfielder in the world, and he was the main reason why barca's play is so fluid. Huge blow, it just dosen't seem fair.

I dont trust those new adidas cleats.

This might encourage Barca to bid for Gago.

I think you are making too much of this... Barca is full of talent, I think you guys will be ok, but Real will win the league anyways (one can only always support their club right?). Anyhow, I am more concerned about the Spanish NT than Barcelona, so this IS a huge blow for the NT.

Wow, really bad news, i hope he gets better for the WC.

This is terrible, Xavi was second in my list of players I definitely don't want getting injured (Puyol is nr. 1...) I know we have a lot of quality in midfield but Xavi really did the work of two players. Deco, Van Bommel or Iniesta simply don't have the total quality of Xavi. He's the one who makes our midfield a stable and calm place, one could say he makes the whole team stable. Fuck!

Ronaldinho is nr. 1 (lol)

omg! this will be tough! i think he was the key player in our team ...

This really is terrible news as Xavi is often the engine that fuels our game from the midfield to the forwards. I almost cried when I heard this upon waking up today. However, we do have a solid team nonetheless and I think our lineup for villareal and until van bommel comes back should be:

valdes
oleguer, puyol, marquez, gio/sylvinho
deco, edmilson/motta, iniesta
messi, etoo, dinho

NO, NO, NO!!!!

Of all people, not Xavi! God damn, what a fvckin' blow. I woke up and it was the first thing I read; I swear I almost cried. Not only is he my favorite player, but he's the most important on our team IMO (along with Puyol).

Well, this will definetely test our character. The only 'good' news is that Iniesta will get regular minutes. This guy is incredibly talented and has shown his abilities on many occasions. Now that he'll have a strong run in the XI, he's going to shine IMO. It's clear that no one can do what Xavi does (not Deco, not Iniesta, not V. Bommel) but they are all more than capable of filling in and doing a good job. We won't surrender the Liga because of this, but it's a HUGE blow for us.

I'm so gutted!

I just read Marca for the first time and really this is bad. I myself have nightmares of tearing an ACL while playing, I could only wonder what Xavi must have been thinking?

But of course I feel the same the way everyone else does, obviously he is a great player and an important one for Barcelona as well as the National Team. So therefore I send my condolences to Xavi, this is not good news. Hopefully he can make a full recovery before the season is through.

man i feel bad for xavi... he is a big blow to both barca and the spanish squad... and as a spanish fan thats not good...

i myself have nightmares on ACL tears... not only that it hurts so bad, youll have to wear a catheter (sp?) while being treated too.

and another dilema on tearing an ACL, its just not the same whe youre healed. damn damn... God speed on the treatments Xavi...

Big lose for Barca but im sure they will cope.

VERY VERY BAD NEWS, I HOPE HE WILL RECOVER BECAUSE HE IS BIG PART OF BARCELONA GAME...

Bad news for Xavi, Barca and Spain. I might not like him, but I wish him the speediest, best recovery possible.

i think now barca will have to be looking at signing ballack in the january transfer window as a replacement as the other players available are no where near as quality as xavi and ballack would be the best available replacement

HUGE blow for Barca.....But, as everyone else, i too am excited to see how Iniesta will cope with all this...Also Motta/Edmilson cam do a decent job here and when Van Bommel comes back we'll have plenty of cover....But, still no one can do a Xavi out there.

I just hope that Xavi comes back the same Xavi that he has been for the last 2 seasons or so. Because knee ligament injuries always affect your playing one way or another even after you're full healed.

damn!! too spainard will be out for a long time, pretty sad to hear

Exactly my thought. This is what we've been fearing that one of our two mvp's will get injured. That said I am absolutely positive that Iniesta can take his place. What I am more worried about is that we might run a little hard on Deco and Iniesta because we lack the suitable alternatives at the moment.

Hopefully the injury ends after 6 months. What I mean is I don't want it to be a recurring injury to Xavi like Edmilson has, where he is injured all the time. That would suck for Barca and Xavi's career.

At least some good news out of this:

Xavi is out of surgery, and everything went very well. In fact, it has been said that his injury is not as bad as Gabri, Edmilson, Larsson and Motta of last year, in that only the ligament was damaged and no other 'side' injuries due to this damage. He'll be in the hospital 3 days, and then the long slow process of recovery will begin. In 2-3 months he is expected to be training on the pitch again, though the estimate of 6 months out is still the view of the doctors.

The way I see it, Larsson went down Nov 20th of last year, and played his first minutes back with Barca on May 22nd. That is almost 6 months to the day. So I guess we have to deal with the reality that at best we are going to see Xavi for the last 2 or 3 matches of the year. But I do think he'll be back at the WC06.

Im really happy for him, thats great for his carrer. Hopefully his recovery goes well.

He may be back, but I doubt he'll be able to pick up the same form that easily. Tbh, I hope he won't force himself to play for Spain (Xavi playing or not, Spain will suck as usual at the WC) so he'll have all the time for a good recovery.

well i think Spain have as good a team as any other country, and they were robbed at WC 2002. I think Xavi is very important for Spain, and playing in the world cup for your contry is almost every player's dream. If I were Xavi and i was not able to play in the WC, that would be a huge blow.

Just cuz a country isnt the favorite, or the most popular team (brazil) does not mean they done have a chance of winning, or that they dont have pride.

He will be recovering on the pitch for 4 months, and they wont have him play if he isnt fully recovered, which i think he will be.

Good to hear the surgery went well. Can't say the same for him not being able to play for us or the NT side for a while though. I just hope he takes his time in recovery and only returns when he's 100% fit. The way I see it, better for him to take it easy for the remainder of the season, especially the months leading up to the WC then rush back and suffer a relapse. Best of luck to him, hopefully we'll see him play for us agian before the season comes to a close.