Barca: From Xavi to Suarez...

Luis Suarez created a sensation with his two 'needle-nut' passes to David Luiz in Barcelona's 3-1 win over PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday. Only a few years ago, Suarez's actions would have been criticised.

Xavi (left) will be the past, and Suarez is the future of Barca

When Xavi came on for the injured Andres Iniesta in the second half of the match in Paris last week, there were two symbols of the past and the future on the pitch. Xavi, of course, is a man of the past. Suarez, of course, represents the future.

Xavi is the player who has played the most matches in Barcelona's history. In the history of Spanish football, no one can compare with him in terms of achievements. Among these, the most outstanding is the World Cup championship (2010), sandwiched between 2 EURO championships (2008, 2012) with the Spanish team. Everyone agrees: Xavi is the most important figure in the journey of La Roja's life, from a weak team in major tournaments to a force in world football.

Xavi has also been associated with Barcelona's greatest successes in the past decade, reaching the Champions League summit three times. It can be said that Xavi has truly created an era called tiqui-taca with his unique style of play. But time has not spared him. With his age and declining form, Xavi has decided to leave Barca at the end of this season, playing out the final years of his career in Qatar.

That means Barca are witnessing the last matches of Xavi, who may not be the best player but is the most important figure in the history of the club. He no longer has the physical strength to play week in, week out, nor the agility to pass hundreds of balls across the field each match. But every time Xavi touches the ball, we still see his unique features. And looking at those standard passes as recorded in textbooks, we can't help but feel nostalgic when remembering the golden days not so far away.

That said, tiki-taka is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Barcelona are trying to get rid of it, Spain are trying to get rid of it and Pep Guardiola – who is still trying to promote it outside Spain – just suffered an inexcusable defeat against Porto (Bayern lost 1-3).

Today’s Barca is the Barca of South Americans, who ignore all conventions. Tiqui-tacán has no place for spontaneous moments like Suarez’s nutmeg on Luiz. It is a type of football that eliminates individuality in order to elevate passing to a science. But with Neymar and Suarez, Barca knows they cannot maintain that tradition. They must break with the past and move towards a new way of playing, to bring out the best in each individual.

Luis Enrique is doing a great job. He has had his disagreements with Messi and Neymar, but he knows that to move the team forward, he cannot help but rely on those personalities. Xavi and Suarez being on the pitch together in Paris suggests a transition. And any transition is fraught with difficulties and debate. But as long as Suarez, Neymar and Messi have room to express their unique style of play on the pitch, Barca will remain a team that no one dares to underestimate.

Whether this style of play can usher in a new era of dominance is debatable, but for now it is clearly the only way forward for Barca.

According to bongdaplus