Xavi Hernandez, fondly called ‘El Maestro’ by the Blaugranas, made his 700th appearance in a Barcelona strip against Getafe in the second leg of the round of 16 stage in the Copa Del Rey.
It has been 16 years since the debut of this ‘Midfield Maestro’ , who arguably is the best midfielder Barcelona has ever produced and a graduate of the ‘La Masia’ - Barcelona’s youth academy which is known to be one of the best academies in the world.
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Xavi has the highest appearances for his club and also the highest number of trophies – 22, which includes seven La Liga trophies, three Champions League trophies and two club world cups. With the national team, he has won the Euro trophy twice(2008, 2012) and the FIFA World Cup , which is considered to be the ultimate prize of football, in 2010.
Former President of Barcelona Sandro Rossell , less than a fortnight before his departure had said, “Tiki-taka is not a philosophy that Barça have had since its foundation.
“Tiki-taka was invented by these three, plus Busquets. Tiki-taka is Xavi’s registered trademark. The day he is not here I do not know if we will be able to continue with it.
“At the age of 34, he has a pass success rate of 93.1 % this season. It is outstanding, given the fact that he plays a lot of through balls from the final third which are generally prone to interceptions and yet has found his team-mate 9 out of times.”
When Cesc Fabregas made his return home, it was believed by many that he can replace Xavi Hernandez but it has become obvious that Cesc offers a package of attributes which are clearly different from Xavi, even though they have notable similarities such as their vision, creativity and playing exquisite killer passes.
Since Cesc’s arrival, every manager he has played under has preferred him to play in the false 9 position in the absence of the 4-time Ballon D’or winner , Lionel Messi and hence his prowess as an attacker has been utilized more often than just as a central midfielder. Thiago Alcantara, who was believed to be Xavi’s direct replacement, departed owing to lack of playing time.
This has left the Catalan giants with no option but the talented yet the unproven La Masia graduate, Sergi Roberto. Sergi Roberto is more of a box-to-box midfielder and will need ample time to mature as his fortunes have only turned under manager Gerardo Martino , who has already given him 20 appearances compared to the 5 appearances that he had got under former manager, Tito Vilonova. Now, the circumstances may have just forced the Blaugranas to look elsewhere for the heir of Xavi’s throne.
Moving on to the replacements, here are the three possible solutions :
?lkay Gündo?an – Borussia Dortmund & Germany
The midfielder played a vital role in Dortmund’s charge towards the Champions League final last season. His tremendous work-rate, energy and creativity would form a lethal midfield partnership alongside Busquets, Iniesta/Cesc.
He is a deep-lying playmaker who bursts forward when the opportunity arises to join the attack. Ilkay is just 23 years of age and he has a great passing range and also a dribbler who is technically sound.
The addition of Gündo?an will lead to an inevitable improvement to any midfield. He has drawn the attention of all the top football clubs around and is emerging as one of the best midfielders in European football.
Miralem Pjani? – AS Roma & Bosnia and Herzegovina
Pjani? is arguably the most suitable replacement for Xavi Hernandez today. He plays a vital role in the midfield for Roma, who had an amazing start to the season with ten wins out of the first ten games played in the Serie A.
He has cemented his place in the central midfield of Roma’s 4-3-3 alongside De Rossi and Kevin Strootman. Apart from his major strengths such as playing key passes, penetrating the defense of the opposition with his through balls and exquisite dribbling, he can also score from long-range especially from freekicks.
He has a number of assists to his name and has scored 3 goals this season out of which the freekick against Napoli is worth mentioning. He has a pass success rate of 88.1 % this season, which is almost on par with Xavi’s 93. One must admit that such composure and maturity is hard to find in a player who is just 23.
His contract expires in 2015 and looks a likely candidate to replace Xavi as he has admitted it would be incredibly difficult to refuse the offer if Barcelona came knocking at the doors of Roma for him.
Jack Wilshere – Arsenal & England
Wilshere is a player known for his movement, vision and for his excellent passing range. He has been described by Arsene Wenger as having “Spanish technique, but an English heart”.
He is more than just a box-to-box or a holding midfielder and possesses leadership skills as well. He is 22 years of age and has already drawn comparisons with one of the best midfielders like Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
He broke into the scene when he was just 19 and put up a courageous performance against Barcelona in the round of 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2010-11. He has been tipped to become the captain of England by Wenger, and he is believed to have the quality to accept responsibility and pressure.
His goal against Norwich this season, which involved a combination of one touch passes reminds us of the Tiki-Taka style of the Blaugranas. He has scored 4 goals and has a number of assists to his name and a pass success rate of 85.3% in the Premier League.
Jack is one of the most promising talents in world football and would suit the Catalans’ style without a shadow of a doubt. However, a move away from Arsenal is not too likely as he signed a long term contract only a year ago.
Xavi Hernandez is aging and has been a bit off-color during quite a few games this season and the need for induction of fresh blood into the Blaugrana midfield will be certain next season and one of the above mentioned youngsters can actually take the baton from the Midfield Maestro and ensure progression of the Tiki-Taka era.
