Andrés Iniesta – Barcelona’s Ballboy

Andrés Iniesta Luján – Spain‘s World Cup winning magician and FC Barcelona‘s Mr Assister.

Football has changed. Gone are the days of midfielders that only made it as a pro if they were tall and athletic. Iniesta is part of a new breed. A breed of players who dominate the floodlit carpets of professional football, with their heads never more than 5ft 7in from the surface.

Andrés wasn’t always the world beater that you see week in, week out, terrorising the best players that La Liga has to offer. There was a time, not that long ago, when Iniesta couldn’t push his way through into the Barcelona line up. His talent was undeniable, but to compete with the giants of Real Madrid, Barcelona overlooked the pale, slight frame of Iniesta. It was thought that Iniesta, and other players of his stature were ineffective against taller, stronger opponents. He had been squeezed into a mould of a Central Defensive Midfielder that he didn’t fit into. Iniesta clearly had talent, but finding his best position proved difficult because he didn’t fit the Barça system and the system didn’t fit him. Josep Guardiola was a Barcelona legend and midfield master. Guardiola saw something in Andrés which had gone unnoticed, his very skeletal talent. A skeleton key can unlock any door and Andrés Iniesta can unlock any defence. Guardiola realised that Iniesta shouldn’t be sat in front of his own defence trying to protect it; he should be running at the opponents’. The skill that Andrés possesses is far more than just physical. Admittedly, I could reel off a hundred things about his touch and technique, but all that can be taught to the right protégé. What he has, borders the realms of telepathy. A reading of the game which is so fast and so instinctive that is it arguable that he can see milliseconds into the future.

Watch Iniesta play a through ball, he doesn’t play it into space. When he plays the pass, there is no space there for the ball to go through. It’s magical to watch but as the ball travels the gap opens up in front of the ball and defenders appear to be moving out of the way. Iniesta has an incredible talent to spot the slightest momentum in a defender’s legs; he knows if you play a ball at a defender that is moving, he will be out of the way by the time the ball gets there. It’s a skill that his little buddy Leo has picked up too.

So for all the strength of defenders, they are powerless when playing against a man who not only knows what you’re going to do next, but exactly when you’re going to do it. So as the Goliath opponents look to take the ball with brute strength, Iniesta slingshots passes into the eye of the defence to create chances for the lethal marksmen ahead of him. Iniesta was grown at La Masia, often referred to as a conveyor belt of talent. La Masia is much more than that; a conveyor belt is a cold and lifeless system that spits out produce. La Masia is a warm farmhouse, where each of its offspring is handmade (reared), carefully crafted by the finest coaches in the world and nurtured into the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Fàbregas and Piqué.

“At Catalan Soccer School we are trying to build our own ‘La Masia’, piece by piece, until we have nurtured the kind of talent that Andrés possesses. We want to turn our players into world beaters.”

Ben Ogden – CatalanSoccer.com

Sergio Busquets – Xavi’s Shadow

Sergio ‘Busi’ Busquets Burgos – Barcelona stalwart and revered Central Defensive Midfielder for the European and World Champions.

At just 24 years of age, Busquets has seen a meteoric rise, from a young man who was taken in late by the famous FC Barcelona Academy to being recognised by The Guardian in 2012 as the 14th best player in world football. He’s one of those players who seems like he has been around forever, but what is it about this man that makes him so special? He doesn’t tick the usual boxes that a great player needs to these days, no blistering pace, very few goals and he’s hardly a fantastic dribbler.

He has also been clouded by controversy for his relationship with the turf, all too often going down under challenges that a man of his size could easily shrug off. A trait that he is learning to push aside as he matures.

When you watch Busquets play (and i mean really watch him), he is a beautiful footballer. What really makes Busquets special is he is the epitome of a team player. I have spent many, many hours watching his teams play and for all the brilliance of Xavi, Messi, Iniesta, Villa, their is something compelling about Busquets for me. Maybe its my love of the underdog, the natural affection i have for the players who dont get all the plaudits they deserve. Whatever it is, Busquets is like a hypnotist’s watch. He has the rhythm of a metronome and once he gets going, I just cannot help but stare. Busquets induces alexithymia, the word for when there are no words.

If you are in any doubt of his talents, just look back at the players that he is in the boots of today. Yaya Toure, one of the finest box to box midfielders in recent years. Marcos Senna, a powerhouse who was always tactically astute for the Spanish National side. Seydou Kieta, the most disciplined CDM you were likely to see. They have moved on, and its no coincidence that the man that stands in their place is Sergio.

Pep Guardiola saw in Busquets, not something that he didn’t see in Toure or Keita, but more the perfect hybrid of both. Busquets has the composure, awareness and tactical vision of a man 10 years his senior. His first touch is of an elite standard that every player dreams of. His second touch is most often a perfectly judged and weighted pass to the magicians he is surrounded by.

In an era where the best attacking players play “between the lines” of defence and midfield, Guardiola knew the importance of having a player that could fill the same space. This player would have to be disciplined, he had to be able to think twice as fast as a centre back. He would need to be able to receive the ball in the tightest of spaces, calculate the best option to release it and execute it perfectly every single time. Not only did he need a player that could break down the oppositions possession with tackles and interceptions but he also needed someone who could then turn those interceptions into attacking movement. The transition between regaining possession and creating a goalscoring opportunity needs to be a rapid one in the intense games of La Liga. Guardiola was looking for a player with all those abilities that would also have the perfect temperament. That player is Sergio Busquets.

Yes you could argue that Pirlo, Makelele, Scholes etc have accomplished more in their careers, but at only 24 Sergio has already won 3 La Liga Titles, 2 Copa Del Reys, 3 Spanish Super Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Fifa World Club Cups and in case you forgot 3 UEFA Champions Leagues. That’s not even mentioning his international medals, you can do a quick Google search if you are wondering what Spain have won recently. He hasn’t won those trophies as a squad player, he’s won those trophies playing as Xavi’s shadow, playing as Iniesta’s wing man and as Pique and Puyol’s protector.

If you watch him train, his focus is incredible. As the drills and rondos get faster, Sergio just keeps going, just keeps taking these inch perfect touches that are calculated and executed in milliseconds. To put it better than I ever could, here is how team mate and the greatest midfielder on the planet described Sergio. “Without Busquets we could never had achieved what we have achieved. Busi sees you quickly, he always takes the simple option. He reads the game well and moves the ball with precision, in as few touches a possible.”

Strong words from a man universally viewed as the greatest midfielder of his generation. Busquets’ national coach has just as much praise for him, in fact I could fill this whole blog with quotes from some of the best coaches and players in the world. What really matters though is Busquets’ roots. He comes from a background of selflessness. He wasn’t the kid in training who was dribbling round the other team or trying to shoot from impossible positions. Busi was the kid that his team-mates looked to for the ball and they knew they would get it. He was the player that the other kids looked to when they were in trouble or they couldn’t keep possession, knowing that Busi would bail them out. He would regain the control and the rhythm of the game in just a few small touches.

Sergio Busquets hasn’t changed since those days, he has simply swapped the kids in the playground for the best players in the world, and he still fits right in.

“At Catalan Soccer Schools we want every child to fulfil their potential through the right coaching in the right environment. One day, we will create the player that can step into Busquets’ Barcelona Boots.”

Ben Ogden – CatalanSoccer.com