Andrés Iniesta

[gingerless]

What?

diego

 

[Metaphysical]

Out of 4, you can get 5:

+ + :cesc: + =

...

 

[gingerless]

 

[dalitis8]

...

OK.

Then and and :alexis: must be included.

I consider those 4 (Messi, Iniesta, Cesc, Xavi) as the most pivotal for our team. Maybe I am wrong.

No.

Forget it. I have been busting my balls since 2008, thinking who exactly are our most vital players. And it is very difficult to say really.

Everyone knows Messi of course. Also Xavi and Iniesta. But all this time, I considered Alves, almost as important. I have to re-think this again, and come up with a theory. Honestly, it is almost impossible to tell with any degree of certainty.

 

[Metaphysical]

OK.

Then and and :alexis: must be included.

I consider those 4 (Messi, Iniesta, Cesc, Xavi) as the most pivotal for our team. Maybe I am wrong.

No.

Forget it. I have been busting my balls since 2008, thinking who exactly are our most vital players. And it is very difficult to say really.

Everyone knows Messi of course. Also Xavi and Iniesta. But all this time, I considered Alves, almost as important. I have to re-think this again, and come up with a theory. Honestly, it is almost impossible to tell with any degree of certainty.

the order goes:







pause

:valdes:



:cesc:

:alexis:

 

[zanela]

Out of 4, you can get 5:

+ + :cesc: + =

Now, seriously. The things he does with the ball are just scandalous.

I can only imagine how non-Barca fans must be feeling when they see the Don doing his thing...

Out of those 4 players, one is not a CL winner, yet. Whilst he's played his part thus far, he's no where near important to us as Busi to this team. Busi is a proven european champion, twice. And if we could get villa fit and running, the XI from last years final would yet guarantee us another CL. And that team didn't 've Cesc.

 

[barcelonista]

at the bottom. You're doing it wrong.

 

[dalitis8]

Out of those 4 players, one is not a CL winner, yet. Whilst he's played his part thus far, he's no where near important to us as Busi to this team. Busi is a proven european champion, twice. And if we could get villa fit and running, the XI from last years final would yet guarantee us another CL. And that team didn't 've Cesc.

Obviously, I am aware of the fact that Cesc did not feature at all from Molinon in 2008 to Wembley in 2011.

But I consider him as massively important for the remaining season. Now, how important? I am not sure. Are we better off with the old trusted 2011 line-up? Maybe, maybe not. But that is out of the question with Villa out, and Asexis on our roster.

Messi is obviously our most fundamental player. But look at the 2009 semi against Chelsea, or the final against United. Things get a bit trickier. Also, Alves was the one most vital addition going from the Frank era to the Pep one. Alves is absolutely crucial for me.

Abidal had been mostly a liability for his first two seasons, but ever since then, he became a total giant.

Biscuits is the biggest problem for me. At first, I thought he was nowhere good enough to be a starter for Barca (hell, I did not think that he was good enough for our bench) Thankfully I was proven wrong. He brings something unique to our game, he is like a foundational stone for our system, yet he does little that is fancy. Difficult to tell how we could cope without Busi.

Iniesta's value is absolutely indisputable. We can cope without him against weak opposition (usually) but in the big games, whenever Iniesta was out, we were also out.

Xavi. Well, no argument there, Xavi is the basis of our passing game, the best pure passer of the ball of all times.

I am also greatly puzzled by our beloved CBs. I am not sure if they are really that good, or are made to look good by our customary domination of all and sundry. Conversely, it is quite conceivable, that we sometimes make them look worse than they actually are, due to our extremely high defensive line, and the extent to which they get exposed if we lose possession in such a system.

 

[Metaphysical]

at the bottom. You're doing it wrong.

it's about who is fundamental to the way we play. no one would argue with the top 5, but after that? well we've seen how we're almost as brilliant but not quite without Valdés. we need him, especially in the pressure games late on.

the difference in our defensive solidity when Piqué plays well & when he doesn't has been laid bare for all to see in the last month, tbh.

Abidal because who else do we have at LB? Adriano is great going forward but isn't anything like as solid defensively. we'd really suffer without Bilal's strength & speed at the back, not to mention his superb pressing and intercepting.

hrm... I guess we could put him next though, ahead of Cesc & Badger.

 

[dalitis8]

the order goes:







pause

:valdes:



:cesc:

:alexis:

You think Busi is more important than Iniesta?

For me, our future dependence, goes like this:

1. Messi

2. Iniesta

3. Cesc

4. Alves

5. Xavi

6. Alexis

7. Abidal

8. Biscuits

9. Valdes

10. Pique

11. Mascherano

12. Pedro

13. Villa

14. Puyol

15. The kids

* I am quite confident about what I say about the first 6 or so. Not so much about the rest.

 

[Metaphysical]

You think Busi is more important than Iniesta?

he is.

Busi is more important to the fundamentals of our style.

we can be who we are without Iniesta - in big games too - but without Busi we are simply not the same team.

what Iniesta does is turn us from a great side into an omgwtf one.

 

[Raed]

he is.

Busi is more important to the fundamentals of our style.

we can be who we are without Iniesta - in big games too - but without Busi we are simply not the same team.

what Iniesta does is turn us from a great side into an omgwtf one.

As much as I would like to disagree with this, it is true.

 

[dalitis8]

he is.

Busi is more important to the fundamentals of our style.

we can be who we are without Iniesta - in big games too - but without Busi we are simply not the same team.

what Iniesta does is turn us from a great side into an omgwtf one.

Now that I think of it. We have indeed delivered in some big games without Iniesta. But were not as epic as with him on. This supports your argument.

But I cannot really recall any big games without Biscuits. Yaya did a similar job to Busi before him, with somewhat less technique, but more steel, and more thrust going forward.

Can you think of any big games without Biscuits after Yaya left?

 

[Manuel Traquete]

Surely there can be no doubt that Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are the three most important players at Barca?

Every special team throughout history has had their one/few special player(s). While Pep's Barca are a perfectly oiled machine, it's these special talents that make this team one of the greatest ever. I'm obviously referring to Messi, Xavi and Andrés.

Busquets, for instance, is the best in the world at what he does imo. But he has a specific role, which he fulfills brilliantly. Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are the three players whose contribution is not confined by any role/system. They are the ones who create moments of magic (often out of nowhere) and truly take this team to an all-time great level. When things are difficult, these three are the ones who will come up with something special time and again.

I agree that some players (like Busquets and Alves) are decisive to make our system work, to make the team tick. But it's the x factor provided by Messi, Xavi and Iniesta that turns a great unit into arguably the best ever.

 

[estranged]

There's no point arguing who is more integral to Barca's play (especially Busi and Iniesta, it's silly IMO). Busi and Iniesta are both critical to our system, when both are on the pitch we play like we should and we keep our shape perfectly well. Busquets is an engineer and Iniesta is the creator, the way busi distributes those balls around and opens up the pitch for us is just magical.