Xavi's replacement?

Closest thing we have is not Thiago, is Iniesta.. Thiago cannot sustain pressure like Xavi can, while looking for space to pass the ball. Iniesta can do this.
The problem is putting iniesta there we lose his powerful drives with the ball..

I honestly think no one can really replicate Xavi. Some changes will need to be made when he retires.

JDS end thread.
But seriously, thiago most likely, but Xavi is Xavi. Lets hope for the best.

I'm not saying he should be bought but Gundogan is definitely the closest player on that list to Xavi. Some of his turns under pressure in midfield tonight were identical to Xavi's. He's basically Xavi with a bit more steel, although not as good obviously.

I'd say Gundogan's better than Xavi atm. More than that, I can't judge.

Boris said:

I'd say Gundogan's better than Xavi atm. More than that, I can't judge.

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Ye probably on current form but I'm talking about Xavi at his peak.

Irish_Cules said:

I'm not saying he should be bought but Gundogan is definitely the closest player on that list to Xavi. Some of his turns under pressure in midfield tonight were identical to Xavi's. He's basically Xavi with a bit more steel, although not as good obviously.

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You also have to keep in mind Gundogan is only 22 and will still improve a lot. But as of right now the ground work is already there and his similarities to Xavi are obvious.

The best answer to the question is where Barcelona go from here. If we are looking for exact copies of players (Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol) or are we going to try something different. Thiago is a "hybrid" player with qualities of both Xavi & Iniesta and could develop a good partnership with Sergi Roberto, Isco or Gundogan. All 3 combinations resulting in a different style midfield.

Schweinsteiger.

There needs to be a nobody option. I'd vote for that.

Samper

Thiago. . . . No sense getting another when we have the real deal already. Cesc doesn't even come to mind. BTW, Xavi is Xavi. No one can and will be like him ever. all humans are unique.

Busquets

Xavi is a unique player, and honestly, when he plays well, he's the only thing keeping this very risky 4-3-3 together. I can't think of any other player who'd fit into his shoes well. Pirlo and Modrić are the closest thing I can think of. Obviously, Pirlo isn't any younger than Xavi, and Modrić is inconsistent nowadays.

Anyways, for me, two obvious choices are missing in the poll. Busquets and Iniesta. Nowadays Busquets and Xavi play on top of each other anyway, and occupy pretty much the same position, because Busquets is not the type of DM who drops deep between the CBs when the team is attacking, but rather even goes a bit forward. I can also see Iniesta dropping deeper as time goes on and evolving into a more distributing type of role. Both are great playmakers.

Having said that, I agree with some of the posts in the thread. You shouldn't search for exact replacements for players who are retiring/leaving, but rather work with what you have and adjust the system to the players, not the other way around. Especially when you have trouble replacing/fitting several players.

For example, a 4-2-3-1 with Busquets as a deep lying playmaker is a possibility. Mascherano or Javi Martinez would be the perfect type of DM to play alongside Busquets in that case. A 4-1-3-2, as I've suggested in the "Barca next season..." thread, is another idea. Anyways, I don't see the need to insist on a system that worked perfectly for one set of players, but probably won't work nearly as good for another, when the squad evolves. I abhor the idea of just buying a bunch of players in order to fit them into a pre-determined system. We are Barca, we have the best youth academy in the world, and many other great players outside of it, and it would be a shame not to use the players we have in the best way possible, because we insist on a system that doesn't fit them.

DavidVillano1 said:

Schweinsteiger.

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He turns 29 this year(!) and isn't likely to leave Bayern now... Nonsense.

Ideally it would have been Fabregas. But it's clear that he doesn't have the same skill level as Xavi or Iniesta and he cannot work as effectively in tight areas and find his way out of trouble, like X & I can.

So when Xavi eventually starts to wind up his career, I would like Iniesta to play the deeper, (Playmaker) role and Thiago to play the Iniesta role.

The Don's ability to read and control the game with his awareness, composure and passing ability, means he has the attributes best suited to play the Xavi role, but with his own unique style of course.

But given the age's of both Xavi and Iniesta (only four years apart). This would only be a short term replacement.