Sergio Busquets’ Touch Map Shows Why He's Still The Beating Heart Of Barcelona’s Midfield

Sergio Busquets' stats show exactly why he has been superb for Barcelona this season.

Sure, the Spanish club were knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals thanks to Liverpool, but they still won La Liga and also have the chance to capture the Copa del Rey when they take on Valencia next Saturday.

The 30-year-old Spanish defensive midfielder has made 52 appearances across all competitions, assisting twice in the process.

However, StatsBomb has released stats from the Spain international's performances this season, showing how much of the pitch he has covered and all of the different defensive midfield duties he has carried out, whether it is tackles and challenges to interceptions and blocked passes.

In fact, the football data and analytics company has also released a second picture that highlights his effectiveness in applying pressure, turnovers, fouls won and passing percentage.

"Suggestions maybe that his legs were going at the end of the season, but he remains one of the smartest DMs in the world," StatsBomb tweeted.

Following on from their 4-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Busquets came out to apologise to the fans for the team's disappointing performance.

"They were better than us, they went all out to win the game from the start and we really struggled with their pressure especially at the start of both halves," he told reporters.

"I can't say anything else, all I can do is say sorry to our supporters because, after last year in Rome, to go out like this after such a good result in the first leg is very tough, there's little else to say."

Busquets might find his workload in the midfield is eased a little bit more next season with the arrival of Frenkie de Jong in the summer, who signed for the club back in January.

The 22-year-old Dutch midfielder has had a superb season with Ajax and recently received an incredible reception from the club's supporters, which only shows how much they've valued his contributions this season.

It has also emerged that Barcelona are looking to bolster their midfield up even more by hijacking Real Madrid's move for Paul Pogba.

Which other players should Barça sign in the summer?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA/StatsBomb

Topics: Football News, Football, Catalonia, Barcelona, Sergio Busquets, Spain, Ernesto Valverde, La Liga, Barca, Camp Nou

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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