Barcelona captain is the first to abide by Xavi’s new rules

After Xavi Hernandez was named the manager of Barcelona and presented earlier this week, reports of him making sweeping changes behind the scenes emerged.

The 41-year-old head coach has set new rules and regulations in place and put in fresh practices for players to follow in order to maintain discipline within the camp.

One such rule that has been introduced is for players to arrive at the Ciutat Esportiva complex an hour and a half prior to the start of the training session. Furthermore, all the footballers have also been asked to have their meals at the training centre in order for the club’s staff to have control over their diet, which in turn would help the players’ fitness.

Fines have been put in place to enforce adherence to these rules, while Xavi is also believed to have instructed his squad to avoid risky off-field activities and unnecessary travels during their downtime.

And, it seems like the former Al Sadd boss has the backing of one of Barcelona’s captains in the form of Gerard Pique. Journalist Jordi Costa claims that the 34-year-old veteran defender is the first one to abide by the new rules put in place as he intends to set the example for the rest of the team.

“It looks that the first player to abide by the Xavi’s rules is Gerard Piqué. It’s a good sign that one of the leaders is trying to set an example for the rest of the players,” Costa said on Cat Radio.

Pique was the first player to arrive for Barcelona’s training session on Wednesday. Furthermore, COPE (h/t Marca) also claims that Xavi has also cancelled his former teammate’s TV appearance with ‘El Hormiguero’ – a light-hearted game show, which was scheduled for next week, for which the defender would have needed to travel to Madrid.