4) Barcelona’s midfield tactics – or the lack of them
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As if Rakitic's position alone wasn't a problem, the shocking decline of Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta only compounded Barcelona’s problems. It is also a testament to how much MSN carried this team (just as Messi did in the initial post-Guardiola years).
Sadly, Iniesta is no longer a goalscorer. The Spaniard has only scored one La Liga goal in the past three seasons. Of course, you wouldn’t expect him to do so now with the trio of MSN ahead of him but his decline has also seen him create fewer chances while the number of passes he makes per game has also dropped.
His injuries did not help either but the fact that Iniesta saw less of the ball was a key factor in Barcelona’s decline. Once known to have the best midfield in the world, Barcelona’s midfield looked like a hollow shell and defenders looked to directly find one of Messi or Neymar who invariably dropped deep to receive the ball.
Busquets has also been asked to play a role that is completely different compared to his hey-days with Xavi and Iniesta beside him. He is no longer the midfield lynchpin through whom the entire game runs. From averaging 85 passes a game a couple of ago, that has now come down to 65.
He is a player who looks to win the ball back with his positioning rather than chasing players and tackling them to the ground. Sadly, that was exactly what was expected of him and the unfamiliar role saw Barcelona’s midfield overrun on a number of occasions.
