Nazario1985
Senior Member
Still thinks Iniesta dwarfed Xavi in Spain, and Xavi did not shine before the golden team while beeing in his best shape (20-24 yo).
Doesn't mean he is not a legend.
Doesn't mean he is not a legend.
- Status
So now Xavi is not one of the best midfielders in history anymore? BarcaForum strikes again
Like someone said, that Spain team started to crumble when he began declining. With the others still in their 20's. Xavi is the most important player in Spain's history, and after that comes Iniesta. No business comparing them, they were both incredible, but different players. But indeed, very compatible.
Like someone said, that Spain team started to crumble when he began declining. With the others still in their 20's. Xavi is the most important player in Spain's history, and after that comes Iniesta. No business comparing them, they were both incredible, but different players. But indeed, very compatible.
Bobo32
Senior Member
He was the most important player IMO of that Barca and Spain team, was basically the engine and brain of that brand of football. More important than Messi, or Iniesta. They were vital in finishing teams off and in dribbling in the last third, but it was Xavi mostly that allowed us to control matches to that degree, he had the biggest influence in our positional possession game, with his non-stop movement, positional sense, and game intelligence.
Sounds like a cliche, but the guy really had an extra pair of eyes at the back of his head, he was unpressable because he kept popping in wherever there was any space available.
I agree fully here, but I don't like that cliche about the eyes. He moved his head naturally, and constantly, and was not at all lazy in his positioning but constantly tweaking his position in order to see more all the time, and to be able to connect with 2 or 3 players on one touch. He was also always fully content in passing it backwards, or to hold on to the ball himself, if there was no good option. He took full responsibility for the ball, and that was his greatest strength.
I will maintain about Xavi the same thing that Carlsen said about Fischer: he showed that you can win by playing simple chess (football).
serghei
Senior Member
Also, regarding Xavi and Iniesta, Xavi is way more likely to step up and play more advanced, as he did at the Euro 2008 basically, than Iniesta is to drop deep and dominate the midfield there as a deep playmaker. The thing is Iniesta was a virtuoso dribbler, he always tried fancy dribbles knowing that if he lost the ball it was an acceptable risk we as a team accepted. Stripped from that, I don't think he could adapt to the ruthlessly efficient minimalistic one-two touches football that Xavi coined at his peak.
Basically, I'd rather have 2 Xavis than 2 Iniestas in my midfield. By far. Xavi could perform well even as a DM. You could have a midfield of 3 Xavis and it would still look pretty balanced.
Say if you played 3 teams against each other with 3 Busis, 3 Iniestas and 3 Xavis as their midfield trio formation. The one with 3 Xavis would blow away the other two.
Basically, I'd rather have 2 Xavis than 2 Iniestas in my midfield. By far. Xavi could perform well even as a DM. You could have a midfield of 3 Xavis and it would still look pretty balanced.
Say if you played 3 teams against each other with 3 Busis, 3 Iniestas and 3 Xavis as their midfield trio formation.
The one with 3 Xavis would blow away the other two.
Last edited:
KingLeo10
Senior Member
Also, regarding Xavi and Iniesta, Xavi is way more likely to step up and play more advanced, as he did at the Euro 2008 basically, than Iniesta is to drop deep and dominate the midfield there as a deep playmaker. The thing is Iniesta was a virtuoso dribbler, he always tried fancy dribbles knowing that if he lost the ball it was an acceptable risk we as a team accepted. Stripped from that, I don't think he could adapt to the ruthlessly efficient minimalistic one-two touches football that Xavi coined at his peak.
Basically, I'd rather have 2 Xavis than 2 Iniestas in my midfield. By far. Xavi could perform well even as a DM. You could have a midfield of 3 Xavis and it would still look pretty balanced.
Say if you played 3 teams against each other with 3 Busis, 3 Iniestas and 3 Xavis as their midfield trio formation.
He really doesn't belong in this conversation going by how all time useless he's looked since 2015.
6 straight years of being bullied by every opposing midfield in big games. Just about EVERY TIME
JohnN
Senior Member
Also, regarding Xavi and Iniesta, Xavi is way more likely to step up and play more advanced, as he did at the Euro 2008 basically, than Iniesta is to drop deep and dominate the midfield there as a deep playmaker. The thing is Iniesta was a virtuoso dribbler, he always tried fancy dribbles knowing that if he lost the ball it was an acceptable risk we as a team accepted. Stripped from that, I don't think he could adapt to the ruthlessly efficient minimalistic one-two touches football that Xavi coined at his peak.
Basically, I'd rather have 2 Xavis than 2 Iniestas in my midfield. By far. Xavi could perform well even as a DM. You could have a midfield of 3 Xavis and it would still look pretty balanced.
Say if you played 3 teams against each other with 3 Busis, 3 Iniestas and 3 Xavis as their midfield trio formation.
I don't know about the midfield but I would like an attack of one 17yo (right footed) Messi for lw, one 23 year old Messi for rw and one 26 yo Messi for false 9.
Would be pretty good.
KingLeo10
Senior Member
JohnN
Senior Member
2010-2011 Messi for False 9.
2014-2015 Messi for RW.
Don't need a LW
A 17 year old Messi running 100% of the time at defenders at full throttle would be fun on the left though..
BerkeleyBernie
Senior Member
People who make this claim really don't know what Xavi did. Absolutely essential to Pep's system, no one else was doing what he did, at least not remotely close to his level.
This is the key point that such claims ignore: Xavi was essential the equivalent of having an extra man on the pitch. His positioning was so brilliant and his workrate was so high that, no matter where Barca held the ball on the pitch, there was always an extra man overload. The ball is in our box? Xavi is there to help get it up the pitch. The ball is in the midfield? Xavi is there to distribute to the best possible advantage. Barca is in the attacking third? Xavi is there. Barca was, for all intents and purposes, playing a 5-4-4 formation (or, if you add in Alves as an attacker/midfielder and Messi as a false 9, 5-6-5). Xavi made that happen.
When you combine his positioning and workrate with his impeccable technique for dribbling and passing with his radar-vision (no one comes close to Xavi's 360 degrees relentless disciplined scanning), you have a unique player who is undoubtably one of the best of all time.
Iniesta & Messi are remarkable players and wonderful to watch. But for irreplaceable in the golden era, Xavi was one of a kind and clearly tops the list.
Last edited:
Yeah, it's incredible what team we had. Now we see it better, when we are this shit. It was like a dream. Unfortunately, nothing will come close to that in the future. Fortunately, hey, at least we lived it.
Xavi is the tiki taka itself. That says a lot. Iniesta is more magical, an artist. If Iniesta moved to Madrid in 2006, he would replace Zidane perfectly and became the best mid in their history. Maybe he would be a different midfielder (more attacking one) than he is with Barca.
An incredibly underrated thing about Xavi was his runs towards the opposing defenders without the ball. This was especially evident with Messi dropping deep and Xavi finding that space to venture forward.
He wasn't the fastest nor the most fearsome player for the CB's, but he still managed to put the other defenders at work with those greatly timed runs. Sometimes he scored them, like against Madrid (5-0 game), other times it allowed for Messi and Iniesta to find space and create chances.
It's just a part of his GOAT awareness of the game.
He wasn't the fastest nor the most fearsome player for the CB's, but he still managed to put the other defenders at work with those greatly timed runs. Sometimes he scored them, like against Madrid (5-0 game), other times it allowed for Messi and Iniesta to find space and create chances.
It's just a part of his GOAT awareness of the game.
iniestaGOAT
Senior Member
Xavi and Iniesta as a combo and individually are the two greatest midfielders in the history of football. Both clear of Zidane.
For me, Iniesta is the ahead of Xavi but wouldnt hate on xavi being peoples first choice.
For me, Iniesta is the ahead of Xavi but wouldnt hate on xavi being peoples first choice.
- Status
Home of Barca Fans
