Puig never really seemed to settle down at Camp Nou.

With a starting lineup that included Ter Stegen, Araujo, Kounde, Inigo Martínez, Cancelo, Gundogan, Fermín, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski, and Joao Felix, Xavi got things started against Deportivo Alaves on Sunday afternoon.

Riqui Puig, who failed to establish a consistent position for himself at Barcelona even under Xavi, has challenged the inclusion of just two homegrown players in the starting lineup.

How did Riqui Puig make his discontent clear?

The former Barcelona player liked a post that made clear that just two players who had trained in the La Masia development system were chosen for the squad. But he then removed the post.

In August 2022, after Xavi had been coaching the team for around six months, Riqui Puig left Barcelona and moved to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Major League Soccer.

The 22-year-old Catalan midfielder has struggled to make an impression on the starting lineup under both the previous and the coach who was born in Terrassa.

The Matadepera native advanced to the first team in the 2018–19 campaign, finishing his Cule career with 57 appearances. However, he is currently a mainstay with Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy.

While many supporters believe that Xavi is getting close to a point where he fields a starting lineup devoid of any La Masia graduates, he has given several young players opportunities during his career, even if they don’t now start on a regular basis.