The 5 Problems Xavi will have to rectify immediately as Barcelona manager

Culers around the world are delighted at the appointment of their legendary player Xavi as Barcelona's new manager.

The 41-year-old is a highly decorated player in Blaugrana folklore and has won titles galore in his mammoth 767 games played for the club.

The club however is going through a tough phase right now and Xavi is expected to swoop in, work his magic and turn the club's fortunes. He now holds enormous responsibility, trust, and pressure to lead this club out of the ruins and back to the top.

However, there are some teething issues in the Barcelona squad that need fixing immediately before the season resumes. Without further ado, let's look at

The 5 Problems Xavi will have to rectify immediately as Barcelona manager

#1 Player - Position Imbalance

Barcelona Squad 2021-22

If you look at Barcelona's squad, it quickly becomes clear that there are too many players jockeying for a spot in the same position. Take the position in the wings for instance. Too many players - Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay, Ousmane Dembele, Yusuf Demir and Philippe Coutinho - are vying for a spot.

However, they lack depth in positions such as left-back, right-back, and especially the central striking one. Sergio Aguero was recently diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia and it turns out that his football career may be coming to an end. Martin Braithwaite is currently out due to injury and has not been of Blaugrana standards in all fairness.

So for now, Xavi will need to experiment with a system that would need to utilize his wingers optimally. Some of them may be used as a 'false nine' or may be an actual central striker.

In the long run, he will have to make optimum use of the supposed meager funds that will be allotted to him owing to the club's financial position. He will have to find a proper balance in the team formation.

#2 Defensive Woes

(L to R) Eric Garcia , Oscar Mingueza , Gerard Pique , Ronald Araujo , Clement Lenglet , Samuel Umtiti

Barcelona's games over the past two to three years have had one thing in common: the repeated occurrence of costly defensive mistakes that led to goals. For a club with Barcelona's attacking might, it is not uncommon to establish a large lead in a game, only to surrender it late in the game and concede two or three goals quickly.

As a team, Barcelona currently lack a strong defensive mentality. Gerard Pique, the most experienced player on the team, has lost a yard of pace and effectiveness when facing counter-attacking teams. Other players like Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti have also been out of form for a long time.

However, the Catalans have hope for the future now that youngsters like Ronald Araujo, Oscar Mingueza and Eric Garcia are coming into their own. Xavi will have to oversee their development and ensure these players live up to their potential.

Xavi has his work cut out in finding the right combination of experience and youth in his backline to stop the leakage of unnecessary goals.

3) Lack of Creativity Up Front

BARCELONA have missed a total of 22 goal-scoring chances in the 2021-2022 La Liga season with having scored only 19 goals.

Barcelona's creativity in the final third has been severely hampered since the departure of Barcelona legend Lionel Messi. The Blaugrana attackers have had difficulty breaking down opposing defenses easily.

In instances when goal-scoring chances are created, the forwards have often failed to convert them into goals. They have often dropped points due to this profligacy, and more importantly, the morale of the team has been affected.

They have scored 19 goals so far in the league, which is way below their lofty standards, and have failed to convert a whopping 22 big chances.

Xavi needs to instill an alternate robust attacking system now that his former teammate is not at the heart of the offense anymore. Barcelona definitely have explosive attacking talent in their ranks, but it will be up to the manager to bring the best out of them.

#4 Improper Handling of Young Players

RIQUI PUIG is the player expected to be most benefitted from XAVI's arrival

Ronald Koeman, the former Barcelona manager, was notorious for his dislike of Riqui Puig for unknown reasons. However, Barcelona fans were certain that Puig has tremendous talent and will prove to be a vital player in the Barcelona side.

Alex Collado is another great talent from the Barca B squad who was promoted to the Barca A team. However, he was not registered because of reported financial problems during the summer transfer market window.

Alex Collado will most likely be registered by January 2022. The youngster is reportedly happy with Xavi's arrival and tweeted recently.

It is clear that the youth at the club is positive about Xavi's arrival, which means players like Puig and Collado will have more opportunities to prove their worth.

#5 Injury Issues

Ousmane Dembele is the most often injured player on the Barcelona squad

The following image from Transfermarkt shows the current injury list in the Barcelona Squad:

It's concerning how many players are injured at the same time, with one social media post revealing that the entire injured list can form a playing XI on their own!

This has been a bad season for Barcelona due to the high number of injuries sustained by players. Not only would this limit Xavi's options during games, but it reduces the squad depth considerably for the entirety of the season. It also puts a lot of physical strain on key players like Memphis Depay, Frenkie De Jong and Sergio Busquets.

Xavi will have his work cut out with the club's medical team to ensure that the current list of injured players recover quickly and the injuries are not repeated. Case in point being Ousmane Dembele, who came off a lengthy injury lay-off in the Champions League game against Dynamo Kyiv and went off injured again after 25 minutes.

Ansu Fati has also been ruled out due to a knee injury on getting back after being on the sidelines for a while.