Xavi's five former team-mates he will now coach

The new Barcelona coach arrives to a dressing room where there are still players from his time as a player and leaves doubts about his relationship. 

They are not canteranos. Nor are they players with little impact. They are important players that Xavi will have to manage. Six years ago he left them as teammates and now he will sit in front of them to demand them. And even more so with the team's delicate sporting situation, without a middle class and with a significant gap between veterans and youngsters from La Masia.  

"There is no need to be tough, you have to abide by the rules. When I have been in a dressing room with rules it has gone well, when there have been no rules it has gone badly", are the words of Xavi after his crazy presentation at the Camp Nou together with Laporta. The two settled the debts left by the election campaign. Laporta forgave Xavi for not supporting his candidacy and Xavi has returned from his Qatari idyll losing money. Amid chants and with a thousand Culés in the stands taking a much-needed bath, Xavi is already seen as the new Guardiola, but the mimics of winning titles do not resemble those.

The most complicated case. The captain returned to Barça in 2008 under Guardiola after his time in Manchester and Zaragoza. He was part of the new Dream Team that won everything alongside Xavi. Now he is more than just a player. He is a successful businessman who organises the Madrid Tennis Masters and the Twitch Balloon World Cup. Piqué likes to travel to Madrid during the tournament to talk to the players. It will be Xavi's first decision with what was once his teammate and is now a sacred cow in the dressing room.  

Guardiola's Barça engine room was greased by Xavi and Iniesta, but it was Busquets who had the back. Son of the legendary long-shorts goalkeeper, the veteran player continues to accumulate minutes with Spain and his club. He has even become Del Bosque's idol. His form has taken its toll, but he has hardly warmed the bench more than necessary. It is good for Xavi to have a player who sees football as he does on the short, short and fast grass of the Camp Nou.  

The full-back joined Barça in 2012 and shared games for three seasons with Xavi. His connection with Messi was lethal and his runs up the flank into the box are still needed. He lacks a finisher to serve balls to. It doesn't look like his minutes are in danger under the new coach. 

Barça's goalkeeper saviour arrived at the club in Xavi's last season as a player. Claudio Bravo was undisputed at Barça until Ter Stegen took his place in the starting line-up after injury. One of Barça's most important pillars will be essential for Xavi on his return to the Camp Nou. A guaranteed goalkeeper will be the beginning of the new style of play he wants to implement.  

Sergi Roberto 

A youth academy player from Guardiola's era who has never achieved the importance he deserves. He has scored decisive goals and shared five seasons with Xavi so he knows his characteristics to perfection. The problem is that Sergi Roberto's contract expires in June 2022 and the parties do not seem to want to understand each other. If Barça sell in December they will be able to get some money for their battered coffers.  

The rest of the squad are players who have arrived after Xavi's departure. Many of them are an unknown quantity, such as Dembélé, others, such as Agüero, are unlikely to return to the team, and some are youth players with a great future who Xavi will have to guide, such as Ansu Fati and Gavi.