Sergio Busquets

[Zidane82]

What is exactly the agenda of denying the obvious decline of Busquets? His level has been declining each season since the 2016-17 season and he has been a constant problem in our neverending CL humiliations in the past 4.5 years with no exception.

This is obviously not solely the fault of Busquets and the other vacas sagradas natural decline. However even the current ?La Rioja? version of Busquets (where his obvious weaknesses are better masked) is light years away from his prime. No amount of tactics will mask his physical decline or the decline of his thought-execution.

There is no point dwelling in the past. This is what partially destroyed this club under Barto?s reign of terror. I am quite sure that this Bobo troll was praising Barto for handing out absurd and far too long contracts to the likes of Busquets, Piqu?, Alba etc. when they were already declining at the time of their newly received contracts. Solely due to their status and what they HAD achieved and not what they WOULD achieve in the future.

Who has denied he is not as good as he was , not Bobo and certainly not me ??

Thing is is he was THE best in his role in the world for many years and is still a fabulous talent .

He is struggling somewhat because of the players surrounding him .
A keeper who has lost his confidence ( or ability) , a lousy central defence ( whoever plays) and then he has Roberto by his side and Luke de Jong and Braitewaite ahead !!

Jesus wept !!!

 

[JamDav1982]

The teams is struggling more because of Busquets than them making it harder for him.

Complete liability that has no idea how to protect a defence. Cant move his legs and wilts under slightest pressure to point he avoids it.

Wont see a worse DM in any top league in Europe. Past his best years ago.

Absolutely woeful and exposed in just about every big game for Barca in years time and again. There on name and history nothing more.

Huge part of Barcas decline in last few years is this inane rating of Busi and Pique etc and believing still top players. Yet still some morons think they have it.

 

[Bobo32]

Place your bets on who has "no idea how to protect a defence" between the well decorated defensive midfielder who won it all, and an unknown scotsman who can't string a sentence together.
It could be possible for a person to lose the idea about how to defend, but I think the unknown scotsman shows more signs of having had something happening to his brain than Busquets (forgetting half of the words, being depressed/miserable etc)

 

[Birdy]

Place your bets on who has "no idea how to protect a defence" between the well decorated defensive midfielder who won it all, and an unknown scotsman who can't string a sentence together.
It could be possible for a person to lose the idea about how to defend, but I think the unknown scotsman shows more signs of having had something happening to his brain than Busquets (forgetting half of the words, being depressed/miserable etc)

'won it all' has nothing to do with how well he defends.
Never was an area he was good at
Always was a liability in defensive transitions

But with the changes in pace, intensity, and aggression of football PLUs his aging,
he has become not just a liability BUt a HUGE BURDENSOME LIABILITy
It's up to the point where his offensive contribution pales so much to his defensive harmfulness for the team, that I don't think he needs to play in ANY game apart from a very specific setting:
only against mid-low table teams that sit very very deep and you need someone to spread correct passes UNPRESSURED from outside the box to inside
That's just about it

 

[mc_lovin]

I was positively surprised that he only has a contract until 2023.

 

[Bobo32]

If only you could show some examples, it's always just the manic laugh of a child because he looks slowish in some situations, or the predictable blame being put on him just because of the result.
When examples are shown, it's often just not his mistake, like with the clip recently where Roberto didn't cover well enough, and Frenkie who took over Busquets position did it without using his head at all.

 

[JamDav1982]

Bobo with the usual clueless nonsense.

Busquets legs have gone and he plays in a team that doesnt defend with ball.

Has no idea how to protect a defence and shows it every time he plays. What he did in past under a different system is irrelevant. Just watch him.

Same Bobo who thinks Alba is greatest ever LB, Pedri is similar to Di Maria, Pique should play RB and FDJ should play CB, Puig is top 5 mid in world.

Absolute nugget.

 

[ajnotkeith]

If only you could show some examples, it's always just the manic laugh of a child because he looks slowish in some situations, or the predictable blame being put on him just because of the result.
When examples are shown, it's often just not his mistake, like with the clip recently where Roberto didn't cover well enough, and Frenkie who took over Busquets position did it without using his head at all.

2nd goal of Atletico's illustrates it great. They attack the space (his space), he got caught out of position, but he's only about 6-7 yards behind their man with the ball and he chooses to jog back instead of sprinting and attacking the ball, possibly closing off an angle for their attacker/making them release faster but no, he is bypassed instantly with no resistance, exactly NOT what a DM should be and a double pivot system certainly shouldn't look like that.

As said above he is useful for breaking down deep blocks and when the opponent doesn't press/counter but when they do, and its physically demanding, he doesn't offer anything in defense.

 

[Bobo32]

2nd goal of Atletico's illustrates it great. They attack the space (his space), he got caught out of position, but he's only about 6-7 yards behind their man with the ball and he chooses to jog back instead of sprinting and attacking the ball, possibly closing off an angle for their attacker/making them release faster but no, he is bypassed instantly with no resistance, exactly NOT what a DM should be and a double pivot system certainly shouldn't look like that.

As said above he is useful for breaking down deep blocks and when the opponent doesn't press/counter but when they do, and its physically demanding, he doesn't offer anything in defense.

Is Araujos space the wide corridor?
After Depay ridiculously lost the ball, there were three players who were very close to Lemar and could've followed him. Nico and Mingueza were two of them, I guess it was Coutinho too.
Busquets kept his central corridor all through that sequence, Lemars pass came from the outer corridor, over Pique who was needlessly trying to put pressure on him instead of being closer to Suarez.
If you only check the inital positions of Busquets, Pique, Araujo and Mingueza and compare them to when Suarez shoots, you see that Busquets was jogging the fastest out of them.

It is really just completely insane to put any blame on Busquets in that sequence. It is VERY telling that this is put as an example of him failing.

 

[ajnotkeith]

Is Araujos space the wide corridor?
After Depay ridiculously lost the ball, there were three players who were very close to Lemar and could've followed him. Nico and Mingueza were two of them, I guess it was Coutinho too.
Busquets kept his central corridor all through that sequence, Lemars pass came from the outer corridor, over Pique who was needlessly trying to put pressure on him instead of being closer to Suarez.
If you only check the inital positions of Busquets, Pique, Araujo and Mingueza and compare them to when Suarez shoots, you see that Busquets was jogging the fastest out of them.

It is really just completely insane to put any blame on Busquets in that sequence. It is VERY telling that this is put as an example of him failing.

You're right, Nico didn't follow him either, it was the most useless double pivot I've ever seen. Double pivot systems are usually associated with very defensive systems as you have 2 DMs sitting deep ready to break up attacks but when Atletico countered Busi and Nico nowhere to be seen, or they were right next to the attackers but couldn't be bothered to run

In my personal opinion a DM MUST be a dynamic player with at least decent workrate. It is usually one of the most physically demanding positions and for good reason, as you are responsible to provide direct cover for the defense, that's your first job, not passing into the final third

Busi is a asset when the opposition can't put any pressure and his flaws are masked but when we are under the cosh or subject to dangerous breaks all he can do is 'maintain his corridor' and won't make a recovery or chase down any ball. Perhaps personal preference.

 

[mc_lovin]

I am not a fan of dissecting plays to blame certain players. Overall impression is more important for me and Busquets looks done. This season especially, I didn't mind him as much the last few years. To be fair we are at our dysfunctional best as a team though.

 

[Bobo32]

You're right, Nico didn't follow him either, it was the most useless double pivot I've ever seen. Double pivot systems are usually associated with very defensive systems as you have 2 DMs sitting deep ready to break up attacks but when Atletico countered Busi and Nico nowhere to be seen, or they were right next to the attackers but couldn't be bothered to run

It's a stupid idea to have these two players play a double pivot, appaarently with the instruction to follow runs inbehind a defence that is (by instruction?) pressing close to the sideline (both goals came out of Araujo doing that and being beat)

So Araujo was directly to blame for being beat when pressuring on both goals, and then he failed to get back, despite being "so physical" both times.
Pique was to blame for both goals too, he took a step forward when he should've taken a step back on both goals, making it easier for Atletico.
Mingueza was directly to blame for the initial pass getting through on the first goal, and then he was a non factor as he was on the second goal, in defending HIS area
Dest could've come further inwards to help Pique on the first goal, but can't really be blamed for being too far forward on the second goal.

Busquets could've maybe hindered the pass to Suarez on the first goal, but it's very minor in comparison to the faults of the other players. Nico was the one of the two who was closer, but he shouldn't be blamed either.

 

[JohnN]

I don't get why we are still discussing this issue. Busi still has creative talent, that never goes away. But he is almost retired in the physical department.

 

[Bobo32]

I don't get why we are still discussing this issue. Busi still has creative talent, that never goes away. But he is almost retired in the physical department.

I don't know either.
You could put 2010 Busquets into 2021 Barcelona and you all would understand just as little about why he is playing.

 

[vuji_31]

He is good short passer and that is all.
Now when he does not have Xavi and Iniesta, it is obvious how bad is he.

There is no single trait that adds plus to our game.

He is liability to defending, that is primary task for CDM.

So what is point for keeping him, and not buying athletic CDM that is great at defense, PHY monster and average passer, because he is only passing 10 meters to De Jong or Pedri.