Andrés Iniesta

[linetty]

Waddle (ex-player): "Nasri had refused to compare himself to Iniesta and he was right. Tonight, he was more like a Ford Fiesta." [bbc]

 

[Flavia]

He needs to find consistency. He had some good games this seasons, and some awful ones. But he clearly plays better with Rakitic. Rafinha-Iniesta should never be paired again.

 

[DinhoR10]

When he plays with Rakitic he's mostly just controlling the pace and holding down the midfield, looks more like a DM then busi sometimes, I think if he brought some attacking play (I think if neymar was fresh we would've seen it more this game) we'd be golden honestly with that midfield trident.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

Just love the way he cushions the ball. Every pass he receives stops dead- on Barça, only Messi, Busi and Xavi have that degree of killer touch.

As far as contribution, it's not all about flash bang whiz dribble assist score. Watching today, I think people are under the mistaken impression that it's Barça's offense that make it superior to City (and other teams). While (Messi) the offense (Messi) is (Messi) scary good (Messi), Barça's defense is what makes the team so formidable. By defense, I'm not talking about the back line, but the pressing/positioning/possession that grants the opponent only occasional (and usually impotent) whiffs of the ball. Let Man City have as much of the ball as Barça, and their attackers have more than enough quality to score. But Barcelona just won't give them space to construct anything. Boot and chase is actually a valid tactic against Barça, since it has a better chance of getting the ball in Barça's half than trying to pass it out. For an attacking team like Manchester City to be so overwhelmingly controlled by an opponent has to be doubly frustrating.

Which all goes to say Iniesta is still a perfect cog in that Barça spider web of expert technique than enmeshes the opponent. Whether or not he has a statistically flashy game is irrelevant, as long as the team is creating scoring opportunities and denying them to the opposition. Unlike other teams, Barça rarely makes costly mistakes from poor technique; more often, a Barca player has a moment of arrogance that an opponent takes advantage of (like Messi's casual reception of the pass today, which lead to the City goal), or Busi's cute moves, etc. One might say Iniesta is generally more cautious (perhaps slightly less than Xavi, a desire to protect the ball at all costs), but his judgement is usually excellent about when to take risks and when to control the game. His lack of arrogance might be at the root of why he's not more aggressive and in the limelight, but then you need some balance on the team.

Lovely performance, including some tiki-taka with Neymar on the left which we haven't seen much of to date (always ended too soon).

You mentioned the pressing. Iniesta's defensive qualities are extremely underrated. He always knows when and how to pressure the man with the ball while always being aware of his surroundings so he can cut off passing angles.

 

[BerkeleyBernie]

You mentioned the pressing. Iniesta's defensive qualities are extremely underrated. He always knows when and how to pressure the man with the ball while always being aware of his surroundings so he can cut off passing angles.

Exactly. The point is in forcing a turnover by limiting the options of the player with the ball, forcing them to make a low percentage pass, or dribble into a gauntlet of Barça players where the ball is stripped away. The first task when approaching a player with the ball is not to dive in with a tackle, but to know his outlets and reduce his angles for passing. Iniesta does this very well.

 

[khorne]

When he plays with Rakitic he's mostly just controlling the pace and holding down the midfield, looks more like a DM then busi sometimes, I think if he brought some attacking play (I think if neymar was fresh we would've seen it more this game) we'd be golden honestly with that midfield trident.

Maybe that's how he's supposed to play now, by orders of THE enrique. But i totally understand you, it has been frustrating to watch "play it safe iniesta" this season. There hasn't been a single game where i didn't think to myself "where's the dribblings, the one twos, the throughballs? where's the...magic?" Then again, if that's how we win the treble this year, so be it.

But here's hoping he turns from this
http://www.directupload.net/file/d/3910/ooagh8il_jpg.htm
to this again
http://www.directupload.net/file/d/3910/w6xrubhj_jpg.htm

 

[linetty]

 

[dakt]

That music in this video IS Iniesta. When in form, right up there after Messi.

 

[dakt]

That girl at 0:46 screaming "Iniesta"
I would act the same

The kids are phenomenal.

 

[ManusXavi]

+1. Great video

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

He got kicked so many times in his career, it is crazy. And La Croqueta, such a beautiful move. Also my favorite and I use it so often. Looks best close to the touchline when it seems that there is no way out.

 

[KyletheMuslim]

I just watched the video, absolute class from my favorite player !

 

[putogusiluz8]

He is going through the difficult stage of balding. once he hits full Zidane baldness expect him to be a God in midfield. That explains it all really.

 

[linetty]

It is pure class indeed. My favourite move is 2:28 in the video, incredible shit.

 

[SocalBarcaFan]

Get back to that Illusionista level pleeeeease Andres! If you do that with Raki and Busi playing the way they have lately We'd be unstoppable.