Inter Miami were eliminated from the 2024 MLS play-offs after a shock 3-2 loss against Atlanta United.
Despite taking an early lead through Matias Rojas, Inter Miami let their advantage slip away as the Five Stripes produced one of the biggest shocks in MLS play-off history, with Atlanta coming from behind to eliminate the Herons.
With Tata Martino saying the Inter Miami squad are ‘sad’ about the result, the Florida franchise’s season coming to an end so early in the post-season is something nobody would have predicted after their strong finish to the regular-season.
And MLS legend Sacha Kljestan has highlighted how Sergio Busquets’ absence was huge for Inter Miami.
Inter Miami ‘missed’ Busquets presence in Atlanta series
Speaking on MLS Wrap-Up, the former USA international noted how the veteran midfielder was a big miss for Inter Miami, with Busquets completely missing last weekend’s trip to Atlanta as the 36-year-old made a 12-minute cameo last night at Chase Stadium.
With Inter Miami managing just one win from the six games Busquets has missed this season, the former Spain international’s influence with the Herons is unmatched throughout the squad, and Martino’s side clearly missed the former FC Barcelona superstar.
Kljestan said: “There’s a certain control about the game when Busquets is on the field and the way he connects passes from back to front and sets-up players to make the next play with time and space and gives them the ball on the right foot so they can turn and play forward.
“When you have Cremaschi and Redondo as your two midfielders, you don’t get any of that. Redondo works hard, Cremaschi works hard, they run around, make tackles, they’re physical, but they don’t have the experience of the ball knowledge that Busquets has. They clearly missed him this season, of the six games he didn’t play, they only won one of those.”
Inter Miami can’t afford to be overreliant on Busquets
Inter Miami showed this summer that they can win games and play well without Lionel Messi, who missed three months of the season due to the Copa America and an injury suffered in the final.
And heading into 2025, Inter Miami now have a similar problem in regards with Busquets, with the Herons clearly too reliant on the legendary Spanish midfielder in getting results against tough opposition.
At 36-years-old, Busquets will not be around forever for Inter Miami, and the sooner the Herons learn to win without the midfielder, the easier it will be for Martino to take this team into a new era.