5 Barcelona players who could suffer under Xavi

#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.