Sergio Busquets

We can't keep making excuses for him, he's just not fit for modern football at the top level... He needs to accept a bench role and rebuild our midfield without him as a central figure...

That?s what i was talking about for years .... i would take casemiro over him even since 2014

This guy needs a super team and he will play well cause they will hide his weak defensive play

The guy can?t shoot can?t track back fast ....

Hopefully this is his last season him and alba ... if laporta decided to keep them then he?s nothing but a joke
 

behindbrowneyes

Well-known member
Not sure we have the personnel to bench him. Maybe we bring someone this summer, otherwise he'll keep playing.

Don't get your hopes up. We missed that opportunity last summer by signing finished Pjanic.
It's more likely that Ilaix gets translated into a DM (or replaces Frenkie as CM who replaces Busi as DM) than us getting someone on the transfer market who can challenge Busquets.
 

Messi983

Senior Member
There are ways to bench/replace him within the squad.

Dest-Araujo-Garcia?-Alba
Pedri--FDJ---Ilaix

With Roberto being a 4th midfielder who can come on for any of the midfielders. Yeah, I know he's not perfect but he still has legs. Busi shouldn't be anything more than a 5th choice in midfield imo. Start occasional game against lower table teams to give rest to starting midfielders (with some shuffling around depending on who he'd replace) but otherwise should only come on for the last 30 minutes to bring some stability and experience to the team.

And if we stay with 3-5-2 (preferably not)

Araujo/Oscar--FDJ/Pique---Lenglet/Garcia?
Dest---Ilaix--Nico G.-Pedri-Alba

Sure, almost impossible we'd play three U20 players in midfield but can it really be so much worse than continue to (over)play Busi?

Yes, we want to continue our rebuild we've started last year while at the same time staying "competitive" (at least domestically) but does Busi's experience (which is really all he brings to the team at this point) really give us so much better odds to win in present that it's worth to play him instead of giving a chance to someone who might still be around in 2-3 years. I say might because it's possible Nico and/or Ilaix won't make it here longterm (despite most of us having high hopes for them) but I'd still prefer to bet on them than playing an over the hill Busi.

I know I'm usually harsh on Busi. But to make sure I don't "hate" him and never will. I'll always appreciate what he gave us during his prime years. He'll always be a legend of this club and should be a good example to all La Masia kids who are not that highly rated or overhyped when they're 18-19 that you can still make it big time with hard work and commitment. Pedro was a similar case and nowadays we have Mingueza who made a big jump forward from being a backup CB in Segunda B to a starter in the first team. Sure, he was "lucky" to get a chance due to injuries but he has earned every minute he was given so far and will deservedly stay at the club for at least a few more years.

Anyway, back to Busi. Nowadays I'm happy in every game he's not a total liability to the team but at the same time is painful to watch how he can't cope with modern day football anymore physically. His time as an indisputed starter should unquestionable end this summer. It really should 2-3 years ago but we can't change the past. We can and should change our future though. And if that means being daring and throw another youngster or two in the water (with a clear lack of other better options) and see if they'll swam or drawn then so be it.

We should phase out remaining old core from the XI starting with Busi and Pique (Pique's injury "helped" us somewhat as we were already without him for most of the season; it wasn't always pretty but we've managed to survive and see we can do without him; now let's just hope he won't be pushed back into the starting XI for the rest of the season once he fully recovers, it would be a step back imo) this summer, then Alba in 2022 and Messi in 2023 (I think he could retire/leave after the World cup year; obviously if he'll renew his contract this year which I think he will).

The longer we'll wait harder it will get. Imagine (or better not :lol:) Busi, Pique and Alba all still getting serious minutes in 2022/23 season and then having to replace them in the lineup all at the same time. It would get ugly. But replacing them one by one every year it's doable. And this summer it's Busi's turn imo.
 

malvolio

Senior Member
Sadly, probably no coach would dare to bench/replace him while he's at the club.

it's not a problem to rotate him, but we should have the personnel to do so. do you think all the managers after pep were cowards? koeman or enrique could have easily benched him if they deemed him not at the required level.

i see many people in here posting after FIFA/FM marathons. i understand not wanting busquets to start, but to come up with pedri-FDJ-ilaix and roberto 4th choice is lunacy.

pedri and ilaix have barely started and their shortcomings are evident. they have to be slowly rotated and groomed into their respective positions. FDJ, for all the talk around him, is still not the midfield stalwart we want him to be.

so how can any sane person not play busquets with the options above? any manager would give his left nut to have a busquets type on the bench. the goal for us is to have the starters at a level where busquets is only needed as rotation. not to just throw some kids in the first 11 and hope for the best.
 
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