The Xavi Hernandez era at Barcelona has well and truly begun, with almost 10,000 fans at Camp Nou to greet him.
The former midfielder has the weight of expectation on his shoulders despite having to battle against the financial constraints that the club has to work within at present.
Clearly, getting Barcelona back to the top table of Spanish and European football is a huge undertaking, though one can assume if Xavi didn’t believe he was the man to bring the glory days back, he wouldn’t have taken up Joan Laporta’s invitation in the first place.
The smiles that both exhibited during Monday’s presentation suggests that a cloud could be lifting, though it’s results as well as performances that will determine just how successful Xavi becomes.
He certainly hasn’t wasted any time in flexing his muscles in the role either. With 11 players out injured at present, there’s obviously a problem behind the scenes.
According to AS and RAC1, and cited by Sport, first-team fitness coach, Albert Roca, and Juanjo Brau, the chief physio, have been dispensed with.