Xavi Hernandez immediately came up with a set of rules meant to bring back the bad luck days to Barcelona.
The 43-year-old, who captains the Blaugrana in many ways, was appointed coach in November 2021 following the sacking of Ronald Koeman.
Barca have lost their way and are 10th in La Liga with just 4 wins in 12 games when Xavi took charge.
But the Spaniard had a good time at Camp Nou and led Barca to their 27th La Liga title and first since 2019 after a 4-2 win over rivals Espanyol.
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Recruitment was key to Barca's financial problems, as was the arrival of exciting young players such as Gavi, Pedri, Alejandro Balde, who have continued the club's long tradition. But Xavi's work should not be underestimated and an essential part of his job is to reestablish discipline in the dressing room.
According to The Athletic, when Xavi came on for Koeman, captain Sergio Busquets informed him that there were no rules in place.
That quickly changed when Xavi laid out the law. According to ESPN, he fined anyone who was late and decided that the fees would double for repeat offenders.
He also instituted a curfew, made sure players trained early and ate together, and oversaw his team's off-field activity and asked them to maintain a good image. Advertisement
Another interesting rule is the prohibition of risky activities, a rule that was broken by Riqui Puig while riding an electric motorbike on the trail in Barcelona.
Before retiring, Gerard Pique canceled his television appearances because Xavi wanted him to limit his business travel.
The law is as follows:
1. Players must arrive 90 minutes before practice time
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2. Employees must arrive two hours before training starts
3. Players must eat at the club's training ground
4. The fine is back
5. Double penalty if re-offending/violating
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6. Players must go home before midnight two days before the match
7. The players have to give their best in training
8. Players' off-field activity will be tracked
9. "risky" activities are no longer allowed
10. A good image is essential
Explaining why he made the rules, Xavi said:
"We have to start with new rules that will be strict. It's not that difficult, it's that there must be standards.
“When we have standards in the dressing room, things go well, but when they don't, things go bad. So we must have order. To become professionals."
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