Andrés Iniesta

[CatalinR10]

Laudrup (coach Swansea): "I was very happy Iniesta got 'Best Player in Europe' award. He's a great guy, humble, he deserves everything" [lx]

 

[hellsangel1]

We really missed Iniesta tonight. His One-Two's with Messi (they both have a telepathic connection), his trickery and his turns around the edge of the box. That was one of the reasons why Messi was so quiet for most of this game, he was generally isolated and had no one to link up with in the final third.

 

[BerkeleyBernie]

We really missed Iniesta tonight. His One-Two's with Messi (they both have a telepathic connection), his trickery and his turns around the edge of the box. That was one of the reasons why Messi was so quiet for most of this game, he was generally isolated and had no one to link up with in the final third.

I love Iniesta, and he is certainly a bus-breaker, but when a defense packs a bus as tight as this, with no space between the double bank, there really is no one in the final third that is free for a pass. This is the formation:

------x-o----o--x--o----o--x-------
----x--o----o----o----o----o--x----
----------x------x-------x----------
-------------------------------------
----------x------o-------x----------

The only way the forward three players get into the game (except on a counterattack) is playing the ball on the wings with the fullbacks, or if the midfielders start an inside run through the middle. Everything starts from the outside. There is nowhere to play a ball between the lines or behind the last line of defenders

 

[Ursegor]

Shouldn't he be back for Sevilla? Didn't they say 10 - 14 days? Well, it's been 12 days now. So next week he should be ready?

 

[UEFA_Barça_Chris]

Shouldn't he be back for Sevilla? Didn't they say 10 - 14 days? Well, it's been 12 days now. So next week he should be ready?

I really really hope so! That Sevilla game is important!

 

[FCBarca]

He tweeted that he was close to being back but not much more than that

 

[abual3bed1]

He was so missed last night.

 

[Catorce]

He was so missed last night.

True! We missed that creativity and opening up the pitch like Xavi and Iniesta do usually...

 

[Agri]

Injury status anyone?

 

[Miggy]

Still injured.

 

[SeloBarca]

I was thinking through the game that were so missing Iniesta, a player, when we stand to still, choose to do the different and attack head on. Hes one of the few player we have that can dribble past 2-3 players without overdoing it.
Probably even has better acceleration then Messi.
Xavi needs him aswell, they become 3 players when they play together.

 

[FCBarca]

Just a reminder of how different this team is when Andres & Xavi are running the midfield as opposed to anyone else

 

[Frejsgodes]

Luckily the Don will still be around when Xavi retires. That relaxes me a bit.

 

[Daemul]

Don should be back for Sevilla, he'll come on in the second half then will start against Benfica and Madrid. Pique should be back for Benfica.

 

[Trickykid]

Don should be back for Sevilla, he'll come on in the second half then will start against Benfica and Madrid. Pique should be back for Benfica.

That sounds too good to be true. Do you have a source, or is your own estimates?