Busquets injured: A double pivot of Frenkie and Pedri, a great chance for Kessie

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

A quite two-faced 90 minutes in Camp Nou saw Barcelona claim a comfortable 3-0 win over Jorge Sampaoli’s Sevilla. However, the smooth victory demanded a great sacrifice: just a few minutes into the game, Sergio Busquets left the pitch injured, with Franck Kessié replacing the captain. At the end of the day, it proved to be a great change.

Furthermore, it wasn’t just a simple, post-to-post change, but Xavi’s tweak in the midfield bore fruit. Sergio Busquets’s character is a rarely unique profile, not only among Barca’s ranks but in the whole world of football. Thus, when the veteran star had to leave the pitch in the opening minutes of the game, everyone was concerned about the continuity of the heartbeat of Barcelona.

Though, Xavi handled this problem excellently, tweaking the midfield setup to fill in the void left by Busquets. Instead of putting Kessié in Busquets’s position to partner de Jong in the double pivot, swapped the positions of the Ivorian and Pedri, pulling the Spanish starlet back as the second pivot, while Kessié was pushed higher, into a more advanced interior role.

Since joining in the summer, Franck Kessié has been underwhelming in the Blaugrana colors, and he was already linked with a possible move away from Camp Nou in January. His profile seemingly didn’t fit the system, especially not in the single pivot position – indeed, he didn’t have much time to prove himself.

However, this was one of his better games, and it can be assigned to the change in the system, where he played in a more advanced position, with a greater impact on the play. Also, the time has helped him to understand the system and surroundings better, and he was visibly more familiar with his role. His final pass was on point as well, creating 2 chances, worth 0.42 xA and providing a lovely assist to Alba’s opener.

Busquets’ proper replacement was, however, Frenkie de Jong. The Dutch maestro filled in the veteran Spaniard’s place brilliantly, showing positional maturity he lacked so much previously playing as the ‘6’. Moreover, his long balls were excellent, for example, he pre-assisted Raphinha’s goal with such a launch to Alba.

Despite not playing in his usual position, Pedri González produced another great performance as Frenkie’s partner in the double pivot. Secure in possession as always, he excelled at playing the ball upwards, and even though playing from a significantly deeper position, he created the most chances (6) in the game, worth an xA of 0.36.

All in all, this game was a testament to Xavi’s quick thinking and adaptiveness, while the players also reacted well to an unfortunate change. With this performance, especially bearing in mind Busquets’s absence in the coming weeks, Kessié might have secured his place in the starting XI as this setup can be the one facing Manchester United in the crucial Europa League tie next week.

The Latest

Chelsea prepared to outbid Barcelona for South American prodigy

FC Barcelona have been quite invested in the signing of another striker in this upcoming summer transfer window. With quite a few names lined...

Xavi continues to provide inexperienced youth with opportunities to learn

FC Barcelona have always been more than a club that simply buys the best players and expects to win, it is a club with...

Two prodigies of La Masia have decided not to renew with Barcelona

FC Barcelona are constantly at work to ensure a competitive environment within the team is secured for the upcoming season. Relying on their own...

Barcelona begin to prioritize the continuation of talented youngster

Estanis Pedrola has turned heads this year with his performances at the subsidiary levels of Barcelona. The player has an astonishing 7 goals in...

Barcelona youngster continues to garner interest from Bayern Munich

FC Barcelona currently possess a plethora of young prodigious talents that will inevitably attract interest from top clubs across Europe. The likes of Frenkie...

Barcelona and Messi’s entourage will hold another meeting to discuss a potential return

With the ongoing slew of transfer news surrounding FC Barcelona, there are certain among them that take precedence. The potential return of Barcelona legend...

Brazilian prodigy’s agent will land in Barcelona this week to discuss the potential transfer

Barcelona continue their quest of negotiating with talents they believe are viable recruitments for their upcoming 2023/2024 footballing season. A primary target of theirs...

Barcelona prodigy’s father met with Mateu Alemany, discussed crucial details

FC Barcelona have on their plates a number of varying contractual and sporting decisions to be made. The timing has now become crucial and...

Three reasons why İlkay Gündoğan is liked by Barcelona

It's no secret that Barcelona are very much interested in Manchester City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan, and given his contractual situation, which expires at the...