Using Xgold To Find The Perfect Replacement For Sergio Busquets At FC Barcelona – Data Analysis

Who Is Sergio Busquets?

For 15 years, Sergio Busquets has been at the heart of Barcelona’s midfield and, by extension, at the heart of their successes and downfalls.

Perhaps one of the most underappreciated players of his generation, Busquets has revolutionized the role of defensive midfielder by combining defensive prowess with technical excellence.

From playing alongside greats of the game, such as Andrés Iniesta and Xavi, in Barcelona’s golden era in the modern game to being part of the rebuild of the current side that has recently claimed La Liga glory, Busquets has given his career to Barca and has etched his name into the club’s history books.

After surpassing 700 appearances in a multitude of competitions that include countless UEFA Champions League fixtures, it has recently been confirmed that the Spaniard will be departing the Catalan club in the summer, currently 34 years of age.

Filling the boots of such a highly decorated individual is a difficult yet vital task as it will help shape the future of Barcelona for years to come; just as Busquets did back in 2008.

This data analysis will use xGold, TFA’s unique player similarity tool, to identify potential targets for manager Xavi.

The data will highlight players from a variety of leagues around the world, with xGold selecting them not only on ability but also on their similarity to Busquets’ play style—an important factor as this will give us a stronger indication of a player’s ability to fit into Barca’s tactics.

Before we dive into the statistics, let’s address the elephant in the room.

Barca’s financial issues are no secret, and it was recently reported that La Liga had placed a transfer ban on the champions for the summer window. Further reports claim that they have to raise £178m through player sales before being able to bring anybody into the club.

Now, Barcelona have several individuals they could offload, with interest from other clubs already starting to build, but even if they fail to overcome this transfer ban, it is possible that they replace Busquets with a player already on their books and then go in to purchase a new midfielder in 2024.

Criteria

For this data analysis, we have decided to cast a wide net to bring up an array of names – some that may be obvious in terms of being linked to Barca and some that will not yet have been considered.

With that in mind, the players included in this data analysis meet the following criteria:

• Play in the top division of Spain, England, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Holland, Argentina, or Brazil
• Be aged between 18 and 28 at the time of writing
• Be listed as a defensive midfielder by Wyscout/xGold

In addition to external options, we have also included current Barcelona players Frenkie de Jong, Sergi Roberto, and Franck Kessié, as they all fit the defensive midfielder bill.

Of course, Busquetss data from this season has also been included, acting as a benchmark.

xGold highlights players who meet the above criteria, ranking them in order of similarity to Sergio Busquets. Every player involved has a similarity rating of at least 80% to the Spaniard.

Sergio Busquets Defensive ability

It goes without saying that defensive ability is the bedrock of a defensive midfielder—being able to read and break up opposition possession and get stuck in with a variety of duels are ways of contributing to your team’s defensive efforts.

Here, we look at the contributions of the players involved.

We kick things off by looking at how each player tends to perform defensively as a whole, giving us an idea of who is consistent and well-rounded in this regard.

Busquets comes in with 10.81 successful defensive actions per 90, so that’s the one to beat.

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