FC Barcelona history under president Joan Laporta suggests that Xavi Hernandez could be fired from his role as head coach if the Catalans lose to Valencia at the weekend.
Xavi's men slumped to their second consecutive defeat, and fourth in their past nine outings, when beaten 3-2 by Royal Antwerp on Wednesday.
They lost out on a much-needed $3 million in prize money through the result as per UEFA EFA figures, but still managed to win Group H with qualification to the last 16 guaranteed a fortnight ago.
With this in mind, many fans and pundits wouldn't have minded losing in Belgium had Barca put up a decent fight, but what was put on display was their worst performance in the season which led to them being labelled "ridiculous" by Mundo Deportivo and a "broken" team by El Chiringuito host Josep Pederol.
Xavi admitted post-match that he is "worried" about Barca's slump while Laporta also paid a visit to the locker room to try and lift spirits.
Laporta and sporting director Deco have constantly supported the manager in public, but AS reports that he operates in an "extreme situation".
Sunday's 4-2 defeat to La Liga leaders Girona seems to have triggered a crisis at the club, and its recent history suggests that Xavi could perhaps be shown the exit door if another slip up is experienced away at Valencia.
This is because losing at the Mestalla would place Barca 10 points behind their Catalan neighbors at the summit if Girona beat Alaves on Monday.
Recall that Xavi's predecessor Ronald Koeman was fired in late October 2021 when a 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano put just six points behind Real Madrid.
The current gap after the Girona drubbing opened up a seven-point deficit, and Laporta warned when he arrived in the spring of the same year the Dutchman was shown the door that losing would have "consequences" at Barca.
At the same time, Koeman was a Bartomeu appointment and Xavi was Laporta's.
The legendary midfielder has also reached the target of qualification for the Champions League knockout phase after two previous failed attempts, and won the league and Super Cup this year.
Retaining the La Liga crown is important, but ultimately Xavi could have credit in the bank with the outcome of the Super Cup and how far Barca go in Europe perhaps the most influential factors on his fate over the next couple of months.