Barcelona player gets fined for being late, Xavi means business

Xavi Hernandez is not kidding around. The new FC Barcelona manager has made it clear that while he is good friends with many members of the squad, he is not going to be pushed around. The midfield legend assumed his new role on Monday, and has already fined a player for turning up late for practice.

Barcelona needs to be whipped back into shape after a mediocre campaign so far. Xavi arrived with a mountain to climb, but within less than a week he has already made some drastic changes. During his presentation, he put a premium on hard work and discipline, and Ousmane Dembele is the latest player to find out that the new manager means business.

On Friday, Dembele arrived late for training and was immediately slapped with a fine. According to a report by Marca, Dembele was tardy by just three minutes, arriving at 8:33 am CET. The practice session was scheduled to begin at 8:30 am, but Xavi did not cut him any slack for the three-minute tardiness.

Apparently, this is not the first time that the Frenchman has arrived late for Barcelona training sessions. He may have gotten away with it in the past, but Xavi is a different character. The exact amount of the fine has not been revealed, and while players can probably easily afford fines, no one wants to be sent to the corner by the new man in charge.

Apart from the strict schedule, it was also reported that Gerard Pique was forced to cancel a TV appearance due to Xavi's new rules. The former Barcelona player-turned-manager wants to remove distractions and wants players to focus on the work at hand. Despite being former teammates, Pique did not get a free pass.

Xavi left his post as manager of Qatar-based club Al-Sadd to return to Barcelona, and he is clearly serious about his mission. Despite having a successful stint in Qatar and being in the middle of a league title defence, he decided to take the risk to help rescue his boyhood club from a crisis.