Three of Pep Guardiola's best Barcelona players, midfielder Sergio Busquest and midfielders Xavi Hérnandez & Andrés Iniesta have formed a sublime trio. In the midfield block, they organized the spaces and launched their actions with mastery. Whether applying a defense-to-attack transition or a clear move to an offensive move, the trio marked the season as one of the best of all time.

The three were not athletic and physical players. In a direct physical tackle, none of the three would have an advantage. Busquets was the tallest, he managed to take advantage in the aerial game against certain opponents, but he was a slow player with a thin physique, very thin and almost no developed muscle. According to Xavi himself, Busquets managed to be slower than him. Xavi and Iniesta were short stature players, not physically strong and athletically prominent. Xavi — like Busquets — was also a very slow player. Iniesta, on the other hand, was by far the fastest of the three.

As much as the physical and athletic performance were not highlighted, Busquest, Xavi & Iniesta relied on their technical and tactical knowledge. They were elegant players, truly artists who paraded and danced on the pitch in the same tune as a tango song. Whether in the middle, on the right or on the left, their combinations created spaces and caught the eye of the public. Pressing them seemed almost a stupid idea. They were players who aligned high technical knowledge with the immense calm of their moves, thus causing the opponent to almost give up on putting pressure on them. However, if it didn't happen, the opponent would only be creating a new space for the ball to be passed. The three checked the spaces around, always having the perception of the next move; always analyzing the nearest marker and checking over their shoulders. In fact, they were sublime, highly intelligent players. To clean up a move, they had a comprehensive arsenal of tricks: letter touches, heel, light shades, ball protection, spins, feints and etc... Indeed, maestros!

Patterns

Their style of play was reflected by calmness, the perception of the best move and the creation of spaces. In a standard tactical organization, Busquets would be slightly behind Xavi & Iniesta. Iniesta, as much as he was selectioned alongside Xavi, was constantly located further ahead of the three. Xavi, by characteristic, would help in the defense-offense transition, but would also join the offensive actions. Often Xavi infiltrated the defensive system to perform the pivot or to be the element of surprise: receiving the last pass and being in a 1-1 situation with the opposing goalkeeper. Xavi scored many goals like that.

In a build-up situation, depending on the opponent's formation and pressure, Busquest would return to be the central defender. If necessary, Xavi would return, thus creating a second line next to Busquets.

Iniesta             Xavi     
↖↗
Puyol     ---    Busquets     ---    Piqué

-------------------------------------------------

Iniesta                                 

  Busquets      Xavi      
Abidal                                                       Alves
Puyol           Piqué

However, this example was not only characterized by the performance of Busquets, but also by Xavi. Sometimes, Xavi was responsible for the build-up of Pepe Guardiola's team.

   Iniesta             Busquets
↖↗
Puyol     ---    Xavi     ---    Piqué

-------------------------------------------------

Iniesta                         

Busquets         

                      Xavi
Abidal                                                       Alves
Puyol           Piqué

When the ball had already passed the defensive system and was stabilized in midfield, the three, with ample calm, exchanged a large number of passes; always looking for space to advance more and more.

Iniesta             Xavi     
Busquets

With the ball already rolling throughout the midfield, Xavi and Iniesta, more precisely, who were the most offensive, sought to launch their actions to the team's offensive agents.

Busquest was the defensive midfielder, the axis of the midfield, the most withdrawn of the three. Of the three, Busquets was primarily responsible for the team's outing. With his very high tactical perception and refined technique, Busquest could transit the ball from the first third and even connect it to Lionel Messi. He played with high elegance, like a second Leopold Hofmann! His perception of spaces was stupendous, always being well positioned to receive the pass. He not only connected the balls to the sides, but applied incisive passes that broke lines. Busquets also played as a defender, including in the 2008/09 Champions League final. However, this is little remembered due to his immense prominence as the axis of midfield.

Xavi was the main passer of the three, the player with wide tactical perception of the plays, always checking what was the best choice to make. Xavi was always looking for space for his teammates. Both flat and in the air, Xavi did not hesitate to reverse the game when he felt it was necessary. Of course, his game was characteristically flat, but with infrequent variations of game reversals. He was the main set-piece taker of the period: direct corners, free-kicks from up close and, more often, from afar.


— I don't know where, but Andrés always showed up at the right time. . "Look at me, I'm here!". We understood each other with our eyes. His body language was the best way to communicate. It is also true that Andrés left the purely academic. Sometimes, during games, we watched him. 'But what the hell did you do? How did you escape? If it was impossible! It seemed that there were no impossible things for him when he connected with the ball. "Rescue, last pass, acceleration, wall, imbalance, he is happy playing inside, he is happy stuck beside the field... He is a teacher, a real teacher.

Xavi.


Iniesta was the most incisive of the three. Not only was he a midfielder, he also played as a winger. In addition to being an excellent passer and tactical master, Iniesta had an incisive dribble and used to run towards the goal. He possessed the ability to line up players and apply the last kill pass. His game was characterized by an elegant, artistic style, with a unique touch on the ball. Of the three, according to their own statistics, he was the one who passed the ball the least, but because he was located in more advanced blocks, for a longer time interval than Busquets and Xavi. Iniesta didn't usually score much, but when he did, it was decisive goals.