Xavi Hernandez said Barcelona’s players will have to play by his rules and raise their standards as the club’s new coach laid down a firm message at his unveiling on Monday.
Xavi was presented in front of almost 10,000 fans at Camp Nou before signing his contract on the pitch, alongside his family and Barca president Joan Laporta.
The 41-year-old, who has returned to the club where he won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues as a player, walked out to chants of “Xavi, Xavi” from his adoring supporters.
Laporta said: “Today will be an historic day for Barca.”
Despite club debts of more than a billion euros ($1.16billion), Xavi is tasked with returning Barcelona to Europe’s elite and recovering a style of play most associated with Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola.
But in a press conference after the presentation ceremony, Xavi’s main theme was less about style and more about substance, the Spaniard emphasising the first priority is to restore order.
Xavi’s instrumental role in Guardiola’s iconic Barcelona side has many at the club hoping that he can now follow in Guardiola’s footsteps.
The most notable praise was reserved for Ousmane Dembele, the France forward who has suffered a string of injury problems in recent years and whose contract expires next summer.
Xavi took over as coach of Al Sadd in Qatar in 2019 and said he has since turned down an approach from the Brazilian national team. He said there had been three occasions when he decided against coming back to Barca.
Xavi’s priority this term will be to ensure Barcelona qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing in La Liga’s top four.
They also face a fight to make the last 16 of this season’s tournament, with a crunch game away to Benfica to come later this month.
Laporta indicated Xavi would be given time to turn things around.
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