Sergio Busquets never did what you would expect him to do; that is what made him special. The defense had to wait for him because he wanted to surprise with each action. He always chose the alternative. Players rarely do that nowadays.

You would expect Busquets to pass back to the goalkeeper, pass back to the defender, or play to the opposite side to Xavi because there is a large space between the opposition’s forwards and midfielders, but he chooses the least obvious pass to Iniesta. It breaks a line; no one expects it, not even the person operating the camera.

Whatever you think plan A is, he always takes plan C or B and will only take plan A to reset. Take plan A, the defense gets into shape, and then go hunting for the next unexpected pass. He did this when he dribbled and passed. A lot of midfielders don’t think like this. They want to follow a plan, a preset play. Play the quickest, safest solution.

Busquets receives the ball, and he gets pressure from a defender in front of him. Every midfielder would immediately play the pass to the left to relieve pressure, but that is too predictable. He feints to the right and makes the defender miss towards the left, towards the predictable pass. Then the pass opens up to his right, but that is too safe; he wants to find the least obvious pass. He ignores that pass and passes forward to Iniesta.

When he had the ball, each defender’s head is up looking at him, and their body language is restless because they were waiting anxiously for him. They can’t commit to what they expect because he is not going to play it safe. Messi, Xavi, or Iniesta aren’t anxious because they know he’ll find him. He controls the pace of play; his decisions are like the ref’s whistle, and then they go when he chooses. You can see the defenders waiting, almost like it is a free kick or dead ball whenever he takes his first touch.

Happy Birthday to Sergio Busquets, who turned 36 yesterday!