Xavi Hernandez, Antoine Griezmann share regret over not working together

The appointment of Xavi Hernandez as the new manager of FC Barcelona has brought about a lot of optimism and a good vibe around the club.

A legend of the game, the 41-year-old does not have experience coaching a team as huge as the Blaugrana. Nonetheless, that has not stopped him from taking over the reins of the club at a time when they have made one of their worst-ever starts to a La Liga campaign in recent history.

Things have begun on a positive note for Xavi as Barca defeated local rivals Espanyol 1-0 in his debut game this past weekend. Bigger tests now await the ex-Al Sadd boss though.

While the performances of the team under his tutelage will be under intense scrutiny, at the same time people will also be keeping a keen eye on how Xavi manages to get the coax the best out of the current crop of players.

Amidst this, one former Barcelona star seems to be feeling some regret over missing out on the chance of playing under Xavi.

According to SPORT’s Toni Juanmarti on Siempre Positivo Podcast, ex-Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann and Xavi have spoken to each other and discussed how it was a shame that they would not be able to work together.

The journalist claims that the new Barca boss believes that the Frenchman, who left the club for Atletico Madrid in the summer on a loan deal with an obligation to purchase, would have been the ideal No. 9 in his system, due to his sharp movements.

However, given the terms of Griezmann’s switch to Atletico Madrid on the summer transfer deadline day, any possibility of the pair getting a chance to work together looks non-existent. Since returning to Atleti, the 30-year-old has netted five goals in 16 games.

As for Xavi and Barcelona, they are in the market for a new centre-forward following the unfortunate developments surrounding Sergio Aguero.