Xavi told his players he would "defend them to the death" before taking charge of his first Barcelona game.
The player turned manager received the call from his former club as they sought a replacement for Ronald Koeman last season. Xavi left Al Sadd to take charge at the Nou Camp - a move he had been expected to make at some point in his career - and began his tenure with a game against Espanyol.
A local derby meant the stakes were higher than usual with the Catalan giants sitting ninth in LaLiga. Xavi warned his players that the opposition would look to get a reaction out of them and made it known that it was he - not them - who was under pressure.
He said before the game: “Control the emotions. There are 90 minutes with eleven footballers. They are going to provoke us, the referee…Espanyol, we already know it. You have to run like animals, you have to bite, it's Espanyol, it's a derby. The public is with us and the people are excited.
"The first few minutes at full speed and try things. The pressure is on me and the staff. We have very young people, football is trying, trying, again, again... the pressure is on me. I have already told you that I am going to defend you to the death in the press conferences. Play easy."
The clip was seen on the Amazon Prime documentary 'A New Era', which gave an in depth look into the recent goings on in Catalunya. Xavi's managerial bow with Barcelona would end in a narrow 1-0 victory with Memphis Depay notching the winner from the spot.
Xavi, who played in Pep Guardiola's all-conquering outfit, went on to record a second place finish in his first full season, which included a 4-0 win at the Bernabeu, but he was unable to lead the Catalans into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
This term it has been a similar narrative - LaLiga success masking underachievement in Europe. Xavi was afforded huge funds during the summer transfer window as Barcelona added the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha.
They currently sit top of the league, two points ahead of champions Real Madrid, having won 12 of their 14 games. Xavi though has come up short in the Champions League - winning just two of their six pool games as they were pipped by Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, which could have major financial ramifications for the Spanish club.
