5 things Barcelona learned from El Clasico
2. Andres Iniesta is more important than ever
This is hardly groundbreaking on the face of it, but the 32-year-old showed just what he brings to the side both on and off the pitch with his return on Saturday.
In our article on five reasons Barcelona would win the game beforehand, Iniesta’s presence was central. There were real question marks over when he would make it back after that horror tackle at Valencia, and even whether he’d be at his best, but early signs are there will be absolutely no problem with that.
When he replaced Ivan Rakitic on the hour mark, he changed the game. Although Suarez had already scored, he allowed Barcelona to settle into a more familiar rhythm.
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There is understandably a lot of frustration aimed at Andre Gomes. The Portuguese midfielder cost around $70million in the summer, but he has not been able to impact games as Iniesta’s replacement, while Arda Turan and Ivan Rakitic aren’t stepping up either.
It is extremely harsh to critique those players by Iniesta’s incredibly high standards, but as time goes on and the focus of the team changes, his impact becomes more and more vital.
Under Guardiola, Iniesta was the creative one in a trio that knew its purpose, alongside Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets. Now he’s the man to give the midfield any purpose at all.