Sergio Busquets

[JamDav1982]

One of biggest issues in recent years has been lack of leadership in the squad.

Coaches dont have it as dont have full control over amigos and none of the amigos have it on the pitch either. They wilt under pressure and take the easy way out and give up as believe not their fault and nothing they can do.

Messi and Pique as leaders? That is horrendous and add horrible fuckers like Suarez who should be a leader then the personality of the team is near enough zero.

How can a leader give up the way Messi did and hide? How can leaders like Pique openly mock the coach about missing training etc and make movies about players turning down the club.

Top man managers like Sir Alex Ferguson fought tooth and nail to stop that type of attitude infesting the dressing room. Barca have provided the conditions for it to thrive.

Busquets is another past it old player that cannot lead on pitch. Either vocally or leading by example. None of them can.

 

[Richard.H]

It's funny in a way. Barca's numerous meltdowns over the years have really narrowed down who the culprits can be on the pitch, we have a huge sample size to look at. It all started with Bayern and ended with Bayern.

Bayern beat us 7-0 and then after the following Tata season, Xavi stepped down from starter. We still got destroyed in the years after. Alves left after Atletico, still got destroyed. Mascherano after Juve. Iniesta after Roma. Rakitic benched after Liverpool. Each time we still got destroyed afterwards.

This doesn't absolve those specific players of blame at all, but there's gotta be some common denominator throughout all of them. Someone who has been there for it all. That leaves Messi, Busquets, Pique, and Alba.

Each one of them as well has their own major faults in our defeats. Pique/Alba commit numerous errors defensively and have a mental breakdown. Messi doesn't give a fuck when the ship is sinking except for maybe the Anfield game.

But the real glaring pattern in each one of those games is how badly we got pressured and how badly we reacted to it. Honestly I see Busquets and his playstyle/weaknesses as the consistently major problem for us. He has always been extremely strong in some areas and extremely weak in others. Particularly in the CL, he is just not suited to those end to end type games. When the conditions are fair-weather, he plays great and doesn't get exposed. But overcoming significant resistance becomes a struggle for Busquets. He has never been great in away games and even under Pep era we were way weaker in away games than at Camp Nou. Busi always benefits from home game and bigger pitch, his performances are really strongly correlated with that.

Even as a press resistant player, his game is just not good for the team under pressure unless we have a Xavi or Iniesta or Alves to do the off ball running so that we can circulate and push back the press or even counter it. He just doesn't move off the ball much at all. He doesn't follow up on his passes consistently. 1 touch pass out the back when your whole team is getting swarmed is something you can only really get away with when the squad is at a really high technical level like Pep's Barca or 14/15 Barca.

Busquets just isn't conducive to modern football and it is clear how horrible he performs and the whole midfield becomes when there isn't a world class mid next to him. When Xavi declined and we pushed up Iniesta to accommodate Cesc, Busquets became crap. When Iniesta declined after 15/16, Busquets became crap. If he isn't supported by world class midfielders he becomes way worse than usual. So yes, he WAS being covered for by Xavi and Iniesta.

The meme of him being underrated got so out of hand that he became vastly overrated and people forgot his rather obvious shortcomings because of some great strengths. Makelele 2.0 where the "silent engine" meme got spread so much it became the truth even though it's just not really that true. Busquets has been able to go his whole career with glaring flaws like his away game performances being completely unnoticed by the fans or media or anyone.

Really enjoyed reading this post. Thanks

It’s funny that my avatar is still #16 Busquets. Back then he was certainly underrated. You could argue that even in 14/15 he wasn’t so good, which I believe was his first season as #5.

 

[BBZ8800]

Always been overrated.

Carried by Xavi and then Iniesta.

For years, we read excuses how he can't play in 442 and 4231.

Lol.
This guy can play only in 433 and only surrounded by prime Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Alves.

And yet, lots of folks said: we don't need to buy a classical CDM in the future.
Busi has changed the way how we play.
We need a new copy of Busi, not a traditional pivot.

Fuck that.
Give me anyone, like Edmilson, Motta or Marquez over him any day of the week.

It't time to finish a lot of nonsense ideas:
Busi as a Cdm
Ball playing GK
Short corners
Not using crosses
Defending with possession instead of defending with actual defensive skills

Not to mention: pace, physique, fighting spirit, mental strength, leaders

A lot of Barca DNA ideas died tonight.
Because Barca DNA got stuck in the past.

 

[vuji_31]

Goretzka and Thiago as 2 CDM.

And people think De Jong can't play CDM.
It is not about 2 CDM it is whole team who is running.

 

[Marshall D Teach]

Lucho is an absolute God for winning a CL with these overrated entitled divas

 

[clemente]

Enjoy those 300k a week

 

[Richard.H]

Lucho is an absolute God for winning a CL with these overrated entitled divas

Prime Neymar to help, with all outfield players pressing like crazy. Go watch Barcelona vs Bayern 2015, we could’ve won that match 5-1 with slightly better finishing.

Lucho definitely deserves credit for motivating the squad, emphasizing fitness, and subbing out amigos when they didn’t play well. Funny how such standard things in other teams are a very big deal for this cuckold Barca...

 

[BarcaJack]

Nah. I don't see Barca DNA as a fault here. We just need young players who will continue to improve their game. Some of our players stop doing that a long time ago.

 

[vuji_31]

Stop tu tucklining messi balls.

Get the player for system not for Messi.

He is not the best anymore so no point to fu*k every formation and stop vringing players that
should cover him in some way

 

[Marshall D Teach]

Teams started exposing this guy all the way back in 2013

Prime Neymar to help, with all outfield players pressing like crazy. Go watch Barcelona vs Bayern 2015, we could’ve won that match 5-1 with slightly better finishing.

Lucho definitely deserves credit for motivating the squad, emphasizing fitness, and subbing out amigos when they didn’t play well. Funny how such standard things in other teams are a very big deal for this cuckold Barca...

Neymar's a bit of a diva himself and he alone wouldn't help these cowards win a CL. Not even in his prime.

Getting these lazy pricks to press was an insane achievement.

 

[MTL_Barca]

Always been overrated.

Carried by Xavi and then Iniesta.

For years, we read excuses how he can't play in 442 and 4231.

Lol.
This guy can play only in 433 and only surrounded by prime Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Alves.

And yet, lots of folks said: we don't need to buy a classical CDM in the future.
Busi has changed the way how we play.
We need a new copy of Busi, not a traditional pivot.

Fuck that.
Give me anyone, like Edmilson, Motta or Marquez over him any day of the week.

It't time to finish a lot of nonsense ideas:
Busi as a Cdm
Ball playing GK
Short corners
Not using crosses
Defending with possession instead of defending with actual defensive skills

Not to mention: pace, physique, fighting spirit, mental strength, leaders

A lot of Barca DNA ideas died tonight.
Because Barca DNA got stuck in the past.

I don't know why that always get's brought up after these defeats. We didn't get slaughtered because of "Barca DNA", if anything we got slaughtered because we lost the Barca DNA years ago.

There seems to be this messed up idea of Barca style meaning playing slow 80% possessions with just weak midgets but imo thats far from true. Ajax last season played with more "Barca DNA" in them than any Barca team pretty much since at least 2012 or so.

Over the years the team lost everything that makes the Barca style. They aren't superior on a technical level, there is no movement, no pressing and it's honestly not surprising considering how many players lack speed and stamina. These are fundamentals that simply aren't there and it's not because of Barca DNA or not, it's because of piss poor squad planning and bad coaches. Barto and the boys could abandon everything they know (or think they know) about the Barca DNA and they still wouldn't be able to build a proper team.

Rakitic, Vidal, Semedo, Suarez etc that's already far away from Barca DNA. They are just a bunch of random players put together into this shitty slow 4-4-2 because that's all we have left.

Barca DNA doesn't prevent someone from making runs or pressing, i mean it's actually the contrary because movement is an integral part of that style. It also doesn't necessarily mean you can't cross or play regular corners. Sure the style should usually suit smaller players more but it's not like you automatically can't have some taller players as well.

Abandoning the idea of Barca DNA won't get us anywhere, but whoever takes over has to seriously put in effort to actually enforce the Barca style again instead of this half assed mix of washed up stars and misfits. Lucho saw the writing on the wall and simply abused having a cheatcode like forward trio, Valverde further fueled into it by riding the seniors to the ground but now we actually hit rock bottom because there simply is no life left in them.

The current boards idea of Barca DNA seems to be that some nice passing here and there is already enough or playing some decent football for coaches. Or even easier, it magically get's injected by wearing the Barca shirt as a player. Big suprise how that didn't work out

 

[Catta]

The clubs biggest mistake was to get rid of Yaya for this guy. Barca would have won the CL in 11 and 15 with Yaya also, maybe the club would have won even one or two more with him instead of Busi.

He was never a crucial part of the team, a system player who is mostly at fault for the humiliations of the past years. The club would have been so much better with a classical DM destroyer.

He is no legend of this club., he is a disgrace, and a symbol of the clubs downfall.

 

[DennyCrane]

A lot of Barca DNA ideas died tonight.
Because Barca DNA got stuck in the past.

I get what you're saying but:
Barca DNA scored eight goals yesterday. High pressing, Gegenpressing, Ultra-high defense line, moving the ball fast, compactness, consistent overloading, excellent synergies - and also athleticism.

 

[mc_lovin]

Not that "Barca DNA" bullshit again. We played a 442 witch freaking Vidal and Roberto out wide. In what world is that "Barca DNA"? And since when arent we supposed to have wingers? And yes, Busquets is past it.

 

[BBZ8800]

I get what you're saying but:
Barca DNA scored eight goals yesterday. High pressing, Gegenpressing, Ultra-high defense line, moving the ball fast, compactness, consistent overloading, excellent synergies - and also athleticism.

When was athleticism a part of Barca's DNA?

Our only atheticism during Cruijff and Pep was some stamina, pressing and pace in some players.

We historically almost never relied on:
Attacking crosses
Headers
Height
Defensive height
Fighting spirit

Bayern and Germans usually always have a mix of:
Physique
Technique
Mental strength
Never give up spirit
Leaders
A fighting spirit

We usually have:
Very high technique
Ultra expensive 2-3 magicians like Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, Neymar

We historically never had allround teams with:
Height
Muscles
Huge aerial strength
Insane stamina
Filled with leaders
Combative spirit

I am not sure how anyone can seriously compare German football and ideas with our classical light and funny Barca DNA.

Barca DNA had some pace and pressing.
But physique, height, aerial strength and mental/combative skills were never our strengths.

Our strengths are possession and an insane individual power by Ballon d or magicians like Stoichkov, Ronnie or Messi.

For me, in roots, Barca DNA and our possession football built around short, soft midfielders is and will not be compatible with Europen football and winning titles in the future.

Btw, playing with Raki-Vidal is not the answer either.

But the future of winning football is closer to Zidane's RM, Klopp's Liverpool, Bayern, Germany from 2014.
A mix of technique, physique, killer finishing, mental strength, more directness.

And lol: being able to score from possession, counters and crosses.
Rm, Bayern, Germans.
They can all score from possession, counters and from crosses/headers.

Barca: during Cruijff and Pep we had possession and counters.
We never relied on headers and crosses.
So, we had 2 weapons and others have 3 weapons.

Today we lost even pace and counters, so we have only one scoring weapon: shortpasses/possession.

We can add Dembele and more pace, but again we will have only two weapons at max (possession and counters).
So, to beat teams with 3 weapons, we need to be better than them at possession and counters.
And we were able to do that ONLY with prime Messi-Xavi.

Barca DNA is imo flawed because we rely on only two weapons.
We hate height, crosses, headers.

On top of that, add our obssession with a lack of pace, stamina and muscles paired with our culture of being overly nice (choirboys).
I have literally watched a movie about La Masia where coaches explain how they teach kids core values from the age 6: to be nice, humble and not to fight.

I mean, those are nice traits to be a good friend and to help to your ageing grandmother.
But being overly nice and humble is not compatible with top level sport/competition/war in 2020.

So, yes, I blame Barca DNA:
1. We hate height, crosses and headers since always
2. We raise our kids to be too nice persons and to never fight.
And then 20 years later in CL quarters and semis, you get a bunch of Iniestas, Busis (and probably Puigs in the future) who get both physically and mentally bullied by Germans and Englishmen, who are not "as nice and polite".

Those core Barca DNA flaws can win ONLY on rare occassions when we have prime Messi and a team which is 200% better than anyone on a technical level.
When the quality is 50:50, we stand almost no chance.
I mean, there is a reason why Barca gets bullied on every away KO match since Cruijff (who had 16-17% of away KO matches wins, and Pep who had 20% of wins).

Why?
= kids who are raised to be overly nice and humble and not to fight with anyone
= a lack of physical skills for hostile away stadiums where home teams run at 120% (paired with 80 000 home fans, mental bullying and pressure on our players)

Can you imagine Germans getting bullied by anyone with 7:0 or 8:0?

Can you imagine our short, light, choirboys getting bullied since always by the same type of teams?
Lol, I can.
It started with Cruijff in 1994, 4:0 for Milan.
A classical Barca.
Beaten on a physical level.
And beaten on a mental strength level.