It's still early days, but what Xavi is trying to do at Barcelona is as clear as daylight.
Here's a thorough look at the formation used by the ex-midfielder in his first two games:
4-3-3 vs Espanyol
The 4-3-3 is famed for being the Barcelona style - total football. Hence, there was no surprise when Xavi went for it against Espanyol.
However, there was a marked difference between Xavi's 4-3-3 and his predecessor's - Barcelona pressed higher, and chased all the lost courses, and jumped into tackles. And yes, the passing was quicker.
Xavi's style heavily depends on his team keeping the ball and pressing the opponents when they lose it.
3-4-3 vs Benfica
Ter Stegen - Pique, Lenglet, Araujo - Alba, Busquets, Nico, F De Jong - Gavi, Demir, Memphis.
Against Benfica, we saw something different from Xavi - he set up his team in a 3-4-3 with 3 centre-halves and 2 wingbacks to overload the flanks.
What we saw was Barcelona being more solid defensively while maintaining their style.
Barca had over 60% possession in that game and created multiple chances. If the Blaugrana weren't so wasteful in front of goal, they could've easily won by 2 or more goals.
Thus, Xavi's tiki-taka style is clear. As for his formation, it's either a 4-3-3 or a 3-4-3.
