Xavi Hernandez in my opinion deserves more than the praises he got from last season for his great and surprising victory in winning the Spanish league ahead star studded team like that of Real Madrid.
Since the financial crises at Barcelona started, one can tell how the former Barcelona player has been managing the team's performance and bringing out the best from the available players at Barcelona. I think they currently have a better squad than that of last season. So I expect them to finish in either the first or second position at the end if the season
Of course Barcelona have stronger depth this season due to several signings made by Xavi in this transfer window. Gundogan presence is expected to bring Barcelona back strong in the Champions League.
I think Barcelona's toughness will be assessed when they face matches in the champions league. I think Xavi should be able to get Barcelona past the group phase and go far in the Champions League this season.
In the previous season, Barcelona failed in the group phase because they were unable to compete with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. I don't think that's happening again with them this season. At least it can reach the semifinals or more.