Sergio Busquets

[malvolio]

Weird to claim that Pep's Barca was not a great pressing team.
Kinda like forgetting about MJ's defense. Arguably the NBA's greatest scorer of all time but his defense might have been even better.
It was like that with Pep's Barca. Relentless pressure the whole game when not in possession.

tru. pep had this 6 seconds rule to get possession back after they've lost it.

http://solosoccertraining.com/all/6-second-rule/

 

[KingLeo10]

I refuse to believe a midfield of Milner, Henderson, and Wijnaldum/Fabinho would be able to take the ball off Xavi - Iniesta - Busquets who dominated the likes of Bastian, Alonso, Scholes, Kroos etc etc.

And 2011 Barca had absolute peak Messi + clutch Villa + workhorse Pedro up top.

And at least a good a defense as peak Liverpool.

 

[Bobo32]

I refuse to believe a midfield of Milner, Henderson, and Wijnaldum/Fabinho would be able to take the ball off Xavi - Iniesta - Busquets who dominated the likes of Bastian, Alonso, Scholes, Kroos etc etc.

And 2011 Barca had absolute peak Messi + clutch Villa + workhorse Pedro up top.

And at least a good a defense as peak Liverpool.

And I refuse to believe they'd be able to do it against the current midfield, correctly set up and with the rest of the team playing decently close to how they should.
The biggest qualitative differences between -21 Barcelona and -11 Barcelona are the attack and the right back (let's see where Alves is at now). The front three really can't compare.
But the biggest difference overall is the lack of a coherent plan, in 2011 they'd work on the same idea for three years, we are just a week or so into this one.

 

[KingLeo10]

And I refuse to believe they'd be able to do it against the current midfield, correctly set up and with the rest of the team playing decently close to how they should.
The biggest qualitative differences between -21 Barcelona and -11 Barcelona are the attack and the right back (let's see where Alves is at now). The front three really can't compare.
But the biggest difference overall is the lack of a coherent plan, in 2011 they'd work on the same idea for three years, we are just a week or so into this one.

Wait you think our midfield in 2021 is close to or on par with our midfield from 2011?

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

2011 iniesta alone would destroy our current midfield

 

[Bobo32]

Wait you think our midfield in 2021 is close to or on par with our midfield from 2011?

Nah I think that was the GOAT midfield by miles. I don't expect the current midfield to reach this level.
But I think the current midfield is very talented, and with a lot of alternatives too (I think all six/seven players are good enough in some sense, and they bring different things).
I think they are good enough to absolutely dominate that very limited Liverpool midfield (who has been very succesful lately though).

 

[Morten]

Nah I think that was the GOAT midfield by miles. I don't expect the current midfield to reach this level.
But I think the current midfield is very talented, and with a lot of alternatives too (I think all six/seven players are good enough in some sense, and they bring different things).
I think they are good enough to absolutely dominate that very limited Liverpool midfield (who has been very succesful lately though).

Not that simple, they perhaps doesn't have the most gifted midfielders around, but they will chase you down, outrun you and bully you off the ball, especially at Anfield.

 

[Bobo32]

Not that simple, they perhaps doesn't have the most gifted midfielders around, but they will chase you down, outrun you and bully you off the ball, especially at Anfield.

They would look just as much as bullfighting bulls as for example Man Utd did in the 2011 final, if they tried to bully a fully developed team consisting of Barcelonas current midfielders.
This is what I believe. I of course am very much aware that it's not about X player vs Y player, just read the names of these Liverpool players and think back where they were in 2014. It's about the entire team and the way they are set up and relate to each other. Barcelonas current midfield is good enough, Garcia and ter Stegen too, my question is if Xavi can make the rest of the players work as well.

 

[Morten]

They would look just as much as bullfighting bulls as for example Man Utd did in the 2011 final, if they tried to bully a fully developed team consisting of Barcelonas current midfielders.
This is what I believe. I of course am very much aware that it's not about X player vs Y player, just read the names of these Liverpool players and think back where they were in 2014. It's about the entire team and the way they are set up and relate to each other. Barcelonas current midfield is good enough, Garcia and ter Stegen too, my question is if Xavi can make the rest of the players work as well.

No, because the current Barca-midfielders aren't nearly as good as back in 2011, if you had the 2011-midfield you might have been right, but you don't have that.

If you truly believe that current Barcelona midfield would "absolutely dominate" current Liverpool, you can keep that belief, but im not seeing it.

Of course, we don't know what the future holds, it may be entirely possible you will win a midfield battle in about a year for all i know, but not right now, no.

 

[JamDav1982]

Weird to claim that Pep's Barca was not a great pressing team.
Kinda like forgetting about MJ's defense. Arguably the NBA's greatest scorer of all time but his defense might have been even better.
It was like that with Pep's Barca. Relentless pressure the whole game when not in possession.

Who has claimed Peps side were not a great pressing side?

What they did not do is press for 90 minutes as was made out as to why so effective.

Also it is not what makes 'physicality' in this debate anyway otherwise Puig is a physical midfielder as runs about a lot.

Jordan was not even best defender in his own team but very good.

 

[Bobo32]

No, because the current Barca-midfielders aren't nearly as good as back in 2011, if you had the 2011-midfield you might have been right, but you don't have that.

If you truly believe that current Barcelona midfield would "absolutely dominate" current Liverpool, you can keep that belief, but im not seeing it.

Of course, we don't know what the future holds, it may be entirely possible you will win a midfield battle in about a year for all i know, but not right now, no.

Of course I will keep my belief!
I don't think there is any chance Barcelona will face Liverpool right now, it's three months at the earliest. Let's hope Barcelona go through so we could see.
But for all you know they could win a midfield battle in a year from now with the current midfield? Then we roughly agree, because I think Xavi has a lot of work to do to get the entire team into good habits - all I'm saying is that the midfield quality is very sufficient to DOMINATE Liverpool.

 

[khaled_a_d]

I refuse to believe a midfield of Milner, Henderson, and Wijnaldum/Fabinho would be able to take the ball off Xavi - Iniesta - Busquets who dominated the likes of Bastian, Alonso, Scholes, Kroos etc etc.

And 2011 Barca had absolute peak Messi + clutch Villa + workhorse Pedro up top.

And at least a good a defense as peak Liverpool.

The midfield trio aren't the main culprit to dominant midfield though.
Liverpool average over 60% possession every year which is very good but mainly due to their ability to have highline defense, super quick attack, smart fullbacks with playmaking ability.
Ajax is copying that gameplan this year btw, their midfield is pretty mediocre but they dominate through closing the lines, smart fullbacks and solid attack.
In such situation midfield trio will always be outmatched, and it won't matter how good they are.
Xavi himself talked a lot about it

 

[M3ls]

King!king!king!king!!!!

These passes between lines!

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

posessionking

 

[Andresito]

Great first half.