'Xavi's Influence, Young Talent': Sergio Aguero Explains Reasons Behind Barcelona's Renaissance

After Lionel Messi's departure, Barcelona was in turmoil for months and even failed to make it to the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League. But things are looking brighter at Camp Nou once again, with the Catalans currently enjoying a seven-game winning streak across all competitions.

Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero has said that a new-look Barcelona can now vie for major titles in football, after club legend Xavi Hernandez succeeded in restoring the faith at Camp Nou.

The iconic Spanish midfielder was appointed as Barca's manager in November last year after the sacking of former boss Ronald Koeman.

"They have improved a lot since Xavi's arrival and their distinctive style of play is starting to show again. He has played a few matches as manager, but you can already see his influence," Aguero told Stake.com.

Aguero joined the Blaugrana last summer but was forced to retire from the sport due to heart issues in December.

Besides crediting Xavi, the ex-Argentine international argued that it was the youth brigade, which was leading the Spanish side's revival, because they had enormous talent and the ability to deliver on the big stage.

"There's plenty of young talent with huge potential that is starting to materialise. Pedri, Gavi, Ansu [Fati], Nico Gonzalez," he said.

While the youngsters were powering the La Liga team's resurgence, they were aptly supported by the veterans of the club.

"If you add the seasoned veterans to that, and the reinforcements that have arrived, they can dream big again – so why not aspire to take on the Europa League?" the 33-year-old footballer described. "It won't be easy, and the process of this new team has just started, so it'll need time to evolve, but they've already got what they need to give a good attempt at it," he concluded.

Before Xavi was appointed as head coach, the situation at Barca was alarming as they continued to stay outside the top-6 in the La Liga charts.

However, the team has been successful in winning 15 of the 26 games they have played under the stewardship of the 42-year-old manager and even annihilated Real Madrid 4-0 in last week's El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Moreover, the Catalan heavyweights have now risen to No. 3 in the Spanish league behind Real and Sevilla. While Xavi's men are on 54 points, the top two have 66 and 57 points respectively.