3 things we learned: FC Barcelona vs Juventus 2017/18 Champions League

The Catalans got their revenge on Juventus with a 3-0 win as Lionel Messi finally scored past Gianluigi Buffon.

Busquets’ pivotal role

This match showed the importance of Sergio Busquets to the team. His ability to receive the ball in high-pressure situations and calmly help its progression up the pitch is vital. Juventus pressed high up the pitch in order to disrupt Barça’s build up play. This was done in order to force Barcelona to go long with their passing or at least force Marc-André ter Stegen to attempt riskier passes.

It’s these kind of situations where Busquets thrives due to his remarkable ability to manipulate space. He has ice-cold composure, which enables him to drop deep and provide ter Stegen with a safe passing option. This is important because of Busquets’ ability to break through the opposition lines with his passing. Without him, they would have struggled to effectively get the ball to the creative players.

His importance is often overlooked by others, but anyone who watches Barcelona regularly knows his importance. Other players such as Lionel Messi may produce the moments of individual brilliance which are remembered, but Busquets is the foundation which the team rely on. He acts as a conduit for the different parts of the team; this enables Barça to play their natural possession-based game.

This is shown by his statistics because he made 81 successful passes with a 93% success rate. Jordi Alba was the only player on the pitch to do more with 94 successful passes. His control of the central area can be seen in the pass map above. The amount of passing lines and his average position reflect his importance in helping the team progress up the pitch. His consistency is astonishing, and keeping up these kind of performances will be vital for Barcelona this season.