Xavi names three Barcelona legends he would've liked to coach

The new FC Barcelona manager has discussed three former teammates he would’ve liked to coach and how he wants his side to play.

Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, and Ronaldinho would be the three Barcelona legends that Xavi Hernandez would love to have coached.

After a successful two-year spell at Qatari club Al Sadd, Xavi is back at Camp Nou. The club’s legendary former midfielder has succeeded Ronald Koeman as manager on a contract until June 2024.

He addressed the Spanish press for the first time on Monday in a press conference following a large fan turnout for his official presentation at Camp Nou.

During the press conference, Xavi was asked whether he would’ve liked to have coached former teammate Messi – who left the club in the summer for Paris Saint-Germain.

“Him, Eto’o, Ronaldinho, of course, but they are not here,” replied the new Barcelona boss.

“I am a great friend of Messi. He text me and wished me the best of luck. I also want the best for him. He is the best player in the history of football, but he’s not here. We have our players who have to make a difference on the field and we cannot think about the players who are not here.”

What are his tactical plans?

Quizzed on how he plans to have Barcelona play under his watch, Xavi said: “We understand the game as a positional game, we can’t change our system.

“We want to press high, we want to recover the ball in our opponent’s half, we want to be an intense team, we want to create chances. I am not discovering anything, that’s Barca’s DNA. An intense team, trying to give our all on the field and we are Barca and we have to try to win every single game.”

Xavi will make his debut as Barcelona manager in a Catalan derby against Espanyol on November 20 at Camp Nou.