Xavi Hernandez is taking advantage of Barcelona’s tour of the United States to try different things with his players. In the pivot position, for instance, he’s been experimenting with different things and different players according to Mundo Deportivo.
Sergio Busquets is the undisputed first-choice at the base of Barcelona’s midfield, of course, but Nico Gonzalez has emerged as a viable alternative so far this pre-season. His performances have been solid and shown real personality. Miralem Pjanic has also performed well when asked to play there and, while Franck Kessie is more of a number eight, he can also operate there.
It’s the first time that Xavi has been able to work with his squad in this way – it’s his first pre-season. He took over from Ronald Koeman toward the tail end of 2021, and while his Barcelona showed a lot of good things they still finished the season without a trophy and 13 points behind Real Madrid. A big season is ahead.
