Former Barcelona defender Gianluca Zambrotta wasn't surprised seeing Xavi take charge of the Blaugrana.

Zambrotta played with Xavi for Barca.

He told Sport: "When we played together, Xavi was an assistant coach on the pitch. He's a great coach. I played with him for two years, I knew him very well and I knew he would be successful. He's always been very interested in tactics and now he's helping the club a lot.

"I saw Barça very well. They clearly won the championship and achieved a very important goal for the club. Now they have to work to reach the Champions League final. We are talking about one of the best teams in Europe and for the club, its fans and the city it is very important to get far in the Champions League.

"(Sergi) Busquets and Jordi Alba's goodbyes? That's football. You can't play all your life, there are moments when you have to say 'enough'. Everyone has their time. Busquets and Alba they are the history of this club. It is very important for any club to have players like them. They made history."