This image is a derivative of Camp Nou by @S0@ndrine (CC BY 2.0)

It’s the in-thing in football at the moment.

Frank Lampard, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ronald Koeman, Zinedine Zidane are just a few examples of managers who have had jobs at the clubs which they called home in their playing days. While they have had varying levels of success, the club legend returning to cement his legacy is a story that every fan in their respective fanbase can get behind. 

Barcelona continue to go down the sentimental route, despite it taking a detour on the most recent occasion. Arguably one of the most gifted footballers to come out of La Masia will grace Barcelona once more. 

Xavi Hernandez, despite only being in management for 3 years, has stepped into the managerial role of perhaps the most prestigious clubs in the world- and at one of their lowest points, currently assessed as just a 4.1% chance of winning the title according to the Stats Insider futures model. 

Since the departure of Lionel Messi, they haven’t recovered. Horrendous off-field management has led to even worse on-field performances and not even a third of the way through the year, Koeman was sacked.

While Xavi might not be as experienced as some other candidates, he sure has a footballing brain that far exceeds most managers. But how can Xavi re-ignite the Catalan flame that’s been slowly losing its spark? 

RELATED: Check out all of Stats Insider's 2021/22 La Liga projections 

What has Xavi walked into? 

Xavi has walked into the worst Barcelona side since the turn of the millennium. 

They sit in 9th position, 4 wins from 12 games, and sport measly +4 goal difference, most recently blowing a 3-goal lead against relegation-threatened Celta Vigo.

Horrendous mismanagement off-field has led to their best player leaving for free and very poor signings which have left this side baron.

The previous gaffer had this side playing very subdued and systematic football, very different to the traditional style of Barcelona. 

The lack of tempo and lazy style of football Koeman had implemented has made Barcelona at times rather boring to watch. Barcelona plays in a 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 system with either Memphis Depay or Luke De Jong being the focal point of upfront. Despite having the technical prowess of Depay in his side, whenever he was playing as the lone striker, they couldn’t get the best out of him, due to the slow way that Barcelona build-up from the midfield. This allows teams to sit back quickly and restrict space in between the lines where Depay is most efficiently, thus making Barcelona play out wide and whip crosses in, which has seen Barcelona complete the 7th most crosses in La Liga this season with 26, despite being ranked 15th in La Liga for Aerial Success Rate with 47.5%. 

Due to Depay not having the aerial ability that is needed to play that style, De Jong has been counted upon to be the lone number 9, and with all due respect, De Jong isn’t good enough to lead the line for Barcelona on a regular basis. This dysfunction and methodical build-up in the final third require attention desperately and is something Xavi will need to address swiftly. 

However, there are some positives that Xavi can look towards, which is that Barcelona is heading into a mini, golden generation. La Masia has always been one of the best academies in the world, however, since the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets graduated, there’s been a lack of very good youngsters who can crack into the first team….. until now. 

The likes of Ansu Fait, Gavi, Nico Gonzalez, Ricard Puig are all La Masia graduates who have featured prevalently so far this season and have performed very well. However, the piece de resistance is Pedri. Being brought over from Las Palmas in 2019, he has already lit the world alight, playing a strong role in Spain's progress to the semi-finals at the Euros. Despite suffering an injury setback earlier this season, Pedri will be a prominent factor for a new look Barcelona side for a very long time. 

RELATED: Outfoxed- What's Behind Leicester City's Leaky Start To The Season?

What will he do to fix it?

From what we’ve seen from his time coaching Al-Sadd in Saudi Arabia, Xavi likes to coach the way he played. Any La Masia graduate has a very deep grasp on the game and how to effectively play football, Xavi is no different. His Al-Sadd side won the league last season and sit top of the table at the time of writing, and if you look at the way they play football, it should be no surprise. Xavi will look to implement this system right into Barcelona and get them playing much more attractive football. 

Xavi’s Al-Sadd played in a 4-3-3 with a single pivot complementing two more attacking 8’s just ahead. Their full-backs push on the create overloads and maintain width, while their wingers cut inside to occupy the half-spaces. What will be the biggest discrepancy between the former and new Barcelona managers is the tempo at which they instruct their sides to play. Under Xavi, Barcelona will play intense, high tempo, intricate football with lots of short passes and plenty of off the ball movement. 

Another key facet of Xavi Barcelona will be width. Barcelona will always look to stretch the pitch and play as wide as possible, switching the ball through calculated movement to stretch the defence and create gaps to play into. They will always maintain their width which means that they will always have an ‘outball’ on the opposite side of the pitch, should the ball be trapped on one side.

Xavi’s system will be near enough the opposite of what Koeman had the Catalan side playing. While the adjustment period may take a bit longer than what fans would like, once this side gets ticking, they will be extremely hard to stop. 

RELATED: Pressing All The Wrong Buttons- Why Manchester United Is In Disarray

Will it work?

Well, only time will tell. 

History suggests that there are no fairy tales in football, and this is the definition of a risky appointment. 

Not only has Xavi only been in management for 3 years but managing in Saudi Arabia is quite different to managing one of the biggest clubs in the world. If there is anyone who can buck the trend which has seen the likes of Frank Lampard, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ronald Koeman and many more fall by the wayside, it’s one of the most technically gifted and intelligent players to ever play the game. 

Will his footballing ability translate to managerial ability? Well, after a good apprenticeship, it’s now time for the real test. 

Did you enjoy this article? Join our free mailing list to get the best content delivered straight to your inbox, or join the conversation by leaving a comment below or on the Stats Insider Twitter or Facebook page.