5 Barcelona players who could suffer under Xavi

It is no longer breaking news that Barcelona have appointed club legend Xavi Hernandez as their permanent manager after a nightmarish spell under Ronald Koeman. Like Koeman, Xavi is another who graced the Nou Camp in his active playing days before returning to serve at the club as manager many years later.

The Dutch manager implemented a system of football that is somewhat alien to Barcelona in recent years, favoring pragmatism over the club's 'total football' mantra.

Xavi will look to help Barcelona return to their glory days

While this deviation did not start with Koeman, it most definitely has ended with him, at least for now, because Xavi is known as a tiki-taka expert. The Spaniard won seven titles in two seasons at Al Sadd using a system quite similar to the one he played under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.

Since Koeman and previous managers signed and used players that fit into their systems, some of these players may not fit into Xavi's master plan. On that note, here are five players who could suffer under Xavi at Barcelona:

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#5 Sergi Roberto

Real Madrid v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander FC Barcelona v Valencia CF - La Liga Santander

One of the club's four captains at present, Sergi Roberto, graduated from the famed La Masia academy. There were hopes of him one day becoming a midfield maestro in the mold of Xavi for Barcelona.

The versatile Spaniard became Luis Enrique's go-to right back at the club and fully established himself playing in the position. Roberto became something of a safety net at right-back for subsequent managers, keeping the defense tight without doing too much upfield.

Modern positional football requires full-backs who can bomb up and down the flank, something Sergiño Dest and Oscar Mingueza are better suited to. Roberto's conversion to full-back hindered him from progressing as a midfielder, and he will now find himself behind a plethora of midfielders who are first-choice.

Roberto's minutes at Barcelona would be limited under Xavi, and at 29, he may decide to move on. He is also in the final year of his contract at Camp Nou.

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#4 Phillippe Coutinho

FC Barcelona v Dinamo Kiev: Group E - UEFA Champions League

Signed from Liverpool for a fee of £142 million, Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho has failed to make a real impression at Barcelona. The 29-year-old's best spell came when he spent a season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he won the UEFA Champions League. Coutinho has struggled with injury since moving to Barcelona and has failed to nail down a starting berth at Camp Nou.

Coutinho is of a breed of footballers that is quickly going towards extinction, a traditional no. 10. He relies on his vision, passing range and shooting ability to make a difference to the team, rather than his dribbling or pace. He often played on the wing under Ronald Koeman when fit but could be seen drifting infield regularly.

Xavi would require an out-and-out winger or wide forward for his system to work. Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Memphis Depay would likely be the preferred options for Barcelona going forward, limiting Coutinho's playing time.

#3 Martin Braithwaite

FC Barcelona v Valencia CF - La Liga Santander

Martin Braithwaite is another player that may be affected by the appointment of Xavi at Barcelona. Denmark striker Braithwaite is hardly an ideal Barcelona player, by any standards. The club were forced to turn to him for emergency attacking cover following an injury to Ousmane Dembele in February 2020.

The 30-year-old was playing in the second tier of English football with Middlesbrough as recently as 2018, and is hardly known as a goal scorer. The Danish international is an interesting footballer and his tenacity and grit are two good attributes of his game.

His unavailability through injury would likely make it difficult for him to enjoy a future under Xavi at Barcelona. Obviously, he would stand a better chance of getting regular minutes if he were available from the start. Whenever he returns from his layoff, he will be behind a number of others in the pecking order, and this will definitely affect his involvement.

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#2 Clement Lenglet

FC Barcelona v Sevilla: Copa del Rey Semi Final Second Leg

Clement Lenglet has hardly seen action this season, playing only 284 minutes in all competitions for Barcelona. The Frenchman fell out of favor with Ronald Koeman, with Spanish youngster Eric Garcia preferred in defense since his move from Manchester City. It is hardly expected that Lenglet's situation at the club will change after the appointment of Xavi.

The 26-year-old has proven to be error-prone in recent appearances for the club, having made a number of costly mistakes. There were reports of the club trying to offload the defender during the summer transfer window, but were unable to find a club willing to pay his wages.

Xavi would favor defenders with the ability to play out from the back. With Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Pique and Oscar Mingueza all from La Masia, it is quite easy to know which defenders will feature more regularly for Barcelona under Xavi.

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#1 Luuk de Jong

FC Barcelona v Levante UD - LaLiga Santander

Dutch striker Luuk de Jong was a surprise loan signing by Barcelona on deadline day this summer. The 31-year-old was signed by the predecessor to Xavi, Ronald Koeman.

De Jong falls in the same category as Braithwaite where quality is concerned. The Dutchman is quite the square peg in a round hole at the club because of his style of play. Koeman sanctioned his purchase primarily for his aerial ability, and he is not an accomplished player with the ball at his feet. Xavi may not appreciate a player of his skillset at Barcelona under him.

Under Xavi, it is expected that his loan deal would not be made permanent, and he would see a limited amount of action before he returns to Sevilla.