Barcelona: Could It Be the Right Time to Consider Dropping Sergio Busquets?

Sergio Busquets has been a mainstay of the Barcelona first-team ever since he was introduced by Pep Guardiola as a 20-year-old in 2008.

Only a season before, Busquets had been helping Barca B gain promotion to the third division, yet here he was on the biggest stage, and certainly not looking out of place.

Indeed, so consistently good were his performances that by the end of the season, he would be anchoring the midfield in the Champions League final in Rome against Manchester United.

Over the next few seasons, for club and country, there probably wasn't a player in Barca's setup, bar perhaps Lionel Messi, that was delivering such quality on the pitch week-in and week-out.

He may not have been one of the headline makers but those connected with the club and national team knew just what they were getting and boy were they grateful.

Vicente Del Bosque, never really a man to shower praise on individuals to any great degree, noted at the start of the 2010 World Cup, per an article by Sid Lowe of The Guardian:

"

If I could be any player in the world, I would like to be Sergio Busquets.

He does everything; he always helps the team, he is generous, and he is the first to get the team moving. When he plays, the football is more fluid. With Busquets in the team, our football is better.

"

Team-mate at club and international level Xavi Hernandez was equally as effusive in his praise:

"

Fundamental. Busi sees you quickly, he always takes the simple option.

He reads the game well and moves the ball with precision, in as few touches a possible.

"

Johan Cruyff, too, was all too aware that the man doing the dirty work is almost irreplaceable:

"

He is a gift for any coach. The speed of his passing is perfect and he is the kind of player you don't need to explain anything to.

You just put him in his position and he performs.

"

Such adoration has not been uncommon for some time, but in the recent past, there has been a noticeable drop in Busquets' form.

After six seasons of unqualified excellence it's bound to happen but does it justify asking the unthinkable—has the time now arrived where Barca should consider dropping the world's best defensive midfielder?

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Per WhoScored.com, his pass success of 92.1 percent in La Liga is his worst for three years. When averting danger he has dropped well below acceptable levels too.

Per game he is making 0.5 total clearances in La Liga, which is also the worst from Busi since he arrived into the first team and Busi's interceptions are down to their worst level ever too.

Figures can sometimes be misleading, however any regular watcher of Barca will have seen with their own eyes that Sergio Busquets has been a little off the pace in recent games.

Francesc Tomas of ESPN FC previously agreed, noting:

"

Busquets no longer looks like the commanding leader who made reaching every loose ball or tackle any breakaway player look as easy as pie.

Disappointingly, the Catalan midfielder has been looking increasingly ineffective defensively, a factor that seems to have also affected his formerly immaculate passing ability.

Whether such a drop in performance is due to ongoing injury troubles is unclear but, unless a visible improvement is made soon, Luis Enrique may very well take Javier Mascherano back to his preferred holding position sooner rather than later.

"

Given that for the first time in a long time Barca have options at centre-back, the notion of moving Mascherano back to the role that he played so well in the World Cup that many thought he should receive the Player of the Tournament and not compatriot Messi, seems completely sensible.

It would certainly give Busquets an opportunity to recharge batteries and be ready for the business end of what is shaping to be another long season.

Sometimes, the difficult decisions often turn out to be the correct ones.

Time to make that call, Lucho...