5 things Barcelona learned from El Clasico

3. Sergio Busquets must be able to play his own game

Case and point for the Iniesta theory is what happened to Sergio Busquets while his teammate was injured. When Barcelona’s midfield was at its best under Guardiola, Busquets was given a complicated role which he made look so easy. People never quite understood just how important he was.

He was expected to combine two standard midfield jobs, as both the ball winner and the deep-lying playmaker. Most teams use a double pivot, two players to do those jobs, but with Busquets there wasn’t the need. That is how good he is and has been for the better part of a decade now.

When Xavi’s powers began to waver, questions were asked whether Busquets could alter his role to take on that responsibility. The idea was that Mascherano would then come into defensive midfield, but Ivan Rakitic was signed from Sevilla instead.

Pushing the 28-year-old higher up the pitch reduces his impact, certainly from a positive point of view. His main skills are spacial awareness and short passing, meaning he is best at moving from side to side, or even standing still, to begin attacks. He doesn’t work so well in phase two or three.

But without Iniesta, Busquets has had to think further up field and he has never really looked comfortable. He became a weak point in the team for a while, particularly in the Champions League defeat to Manchester City earlier this season.

With Iniesta returning, Busquets should settle back into his natural position and find his best form again.