Regarding Cesc and his underrating by Barca fans in particular. Here is Iniesta's goal from Madrid - Barca 3-4, one of the most important games from the 2nd part of the season last year. The goal came after a sequence of two-touches moments from each player involved in the build-up (only Messi has a little extra touch).
So, to read the video -->
1. Xavi to Neymar
Xavi initiates the play. Passes it to Neymar who's not in the wing (!) here, but being involved in the center play (we don't even have a center play now). Neymar oddly, doesn't capture the ball, but releases it quick, not allowing the opponent to foul him without getting the yellow (we all know Neymar draws few yellows compared with how often he's being fouled).
2. Neymar to Cesc
It's very interesting here. So, Neymar releases the ball fast and gives it to Cesc. If you check on the video, Cesc is surrounded by 3 RM players. A less creative midfielder would've passed the ball to Alves, who's free, but in the wing. If he had passed it to Alves, the play would've been dead. Alves would've either crossed to nobody or returned the ball back in the midfield (then resulting in a loop that wouldn't have brought us nothing, and the space we created with our movement would've been compressed by RM with ease). But Fabregas plays a split ball, between the lines of Madrid's defence. He takes 4 RM players out with that apparently simple through ball. But it's not simple at all, it is a perfectly timed quick pass. The pass gives Messi the space he needs to open up the play and thus exploiting the space created by this sequence of motions (Xavi-Neymar-Cesc).
3. Cesc to Messi
So, the ball gets to Messi, who draws Carvajal in the center (Xavi is attacking himself, so Carvajal is facing 3 options: either Messi takes the action on his own, and he often does that, or he passes it to Xavi in the center, or he passes it to Iniesta out wide). It's 3 vs 3 now, Pepe, Ramos and Carvajal vs Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. Note that Ramos is pretty far away, Modric is behind also. So, it's more like 2 vs 3 in practice.
Anyway, I selected this play because everyone saw what Messi and Iniesta did, when, in fact, Xavi, Neymar and Cesc are all part of this classic tiki-taka play that annihilated Madrid.
Rewind to this day. This kind of build-up play is impossible now because we don't have the players to create that much fluidity in the center area of the field (with all due respect with Rakitic, he is not as technically gifted as Cesc is, nor as creative or as intelligent), because we don't have the same pass and move philosophy. We just give the ball to Neymar, Messi and Suarez and wait for them to do something.
I never tough I'd say this but I miss Tata. He is way supperior to Lucho. Way superior.
BTW, Check where Messi's position is in this play. It's basically a 2 men partnership in offence, Messi-Neymar, supported by a 4 men diamond composed by Busi-Xavi-Iniesta-Cesc. That's Messi's spot. A no9 who goes back often. Not a no10 or a no8 that goes up often.
