New Barcelona head coach Xavi will have to tackle a plethora of issues in his first few months in charge. The new era begins with a Barcelona derby against Espanyol at the Camp Nou this weekend.As the dust starts to settle on the instant euphoria and adrenaline rush following Xavi’s appointment as manager of Barcelona, the seemingly endless problems at the club start becoming clearer. With the international break now behind us, football lovers all over the globe will have their eyes glued to the screen when Barcelona take on Espanyol.Barcelona have suffered one of their worst starts in recent memory and are ninth in La Liga. They are level on points with their cross-town neighbors Espanyol despite having played a game less. Even in the Champions League, they are second in the group and qualification cannot be taken for granted.Xavi appointed as new head coach of BarcelonaOn November 6, 2021, Barcelona appointed club legend Xavi to replace Ronald Koeman as the new head coach. In many ways, the World Cup winner’s appointment feels pre-ordained. Many had tipped him to take over the managerial reins at the club even in the twilight years of his playing career.Xavi enjoyed tremendous success domestically as manager of Qatari club Al Sadd since 2019. Under him, the side won everything they could but that is to be expected given their star-studded squad as well as their repertoire. However, under him, there were clear signs of progress made at Al Sadd as a unit along with the improvement of several players.While it’s true that Xavi will get more time than his predecessors to fix things at Barcelona, once the honeymoon period is over, the demands will sky-rocket again.What are some of these short-term issues that he will need to address quickly? We discuss below:#5 Getting the best out of Frenkie de JongFC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga SantanderDuring the last couple of years at Ajax, Frenkie de Jong was among the best midfielders in the world. Although he has been influential in the Barcelona squad as well, his greatness has shone through in bits and pieces instead of a consistent pattern.Former managers Quique Setien and Ronald Koeman failed to unlock De Jong’s true potential. The failure to achieve consistency under Koeman was critical since the duo have worked together successfully with the Dutch national team.Premier League Panel@PremLeaguePanelFrenkie de Jong often looks excellent playing as a 6 for Holland, compared to when he plays as an 8 for Barca. He remains as press-resistant as ever & has the physical capacity to recover balls. Can see Xavi giving him more game-time there as Busquets moves into a squad role.2:37 AM · Nov 14, 2021123085Frenkie de Jong often looks excellent playing as a 6 for Holland, compared to when he plays as an 8 for Barca. He remains as press-resistant as ever & has the physical capacity to recover balls. Can see Xavi giving him more game-time there as Busquets moves into a squad role.In Xavi, De Jong will not only find a strong reference point but a great mentor as well. Who better to get the best out of him at Barcelona than one of the greatest midfielders in the history of football? One can surely hope#4 Revamping the fitness of his playersFC Barcelona v CD Leganes - La LigaThis is one of the areas where work has already begun although it might take some time to reflect on the results. Over the past few years, the Barcelona squad has suffered a lot of muscular injuries and relapses. The careers of Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati and even quite recently, Pedri have been affected by it. The same has also deprived the team of resources during key moments in the season.barcacentre@barcacentreBarcelona's medical services are an embarrassment at the moment. Last season, a total of five first-team players had relapse problems or a misdiagnosis (Fati, Coutinho, Piqué, Araújo, Pedri), and Braithwaite is the first 'victim' of the current season. [as]10:01 AM · Sep 12, 20213615260Barcelona's medical services are an embarrassment at the moment. Last season, a total of five first-team players had relapse problems or a misdiagnosis (Fati, Coutinho, Piqué, Araújo, Pedri), and Braithwaite is the first 'victim' of the current season. [as] https://t.co/cVhxzrzrV5Following Xavi’s appointment, Barcelona have already sacked several members of the fitness and medical team. The Catalan has brought along his own set of fitness gurus and medical experts from Al Sadd. It remains to be seen how quickly changes will be visible but fans can expect more attention to be paid to players’ fitness under Xavi