LaLiga: Barcelona have lost their identity – Xavi

Barcelona manager, Xavi Hernandez, has admitted that the team has lost its identity during the six years he has been away.

Xavi was speaking after watching his side grab a late winner to defeat Elche 3-2 on Saturday.

Nico Gonzalez scored the winner in the 85th minute after Barca threw away a two-goal lead at the Camp Nou.

Xavi left Barca as a player in 2015 after winning the Treble under Luis Enrique and admits he has been surprised by what he’s encountered since returning as coach last month.

“We’ve lost [Barcelona’s] model of play and we have to bring it back.

“I have not been here for six years and there are things that have surprised me tactically. I wasn’t here so I don’t know who’s responsible for it, but it’s making [the job] hard for us.

“The large majority [of players] don’t understand positional play. There are mechanisms that I understood from the age of 11 and we have players here that haven’t worked on them,” Xavi said in his post-game news conference.