FC Barcelona were held to a goalless draw against Cadiz, away from home. Ronald Koeman, who is currently in the hotseat as he is raising questions in the board, once again disappointed, salvaging a point. Barca started with a 4-3-3 formation but the tactics and the football displayed was not impressive. Both teams were held quiet in the first half, but Cadiz looked more dominant to score, and intimidated Barca in some situations. Barca also had their fair chances to score but big chances were missed by Memphis. After Frenkie’s dismissal from the game, Koeman changed his formation to a 4-4-1, and right before the full time, Ronald Koeman also picked up a red card. After the full-time whistle blowed Barca and Cadiz held together a draw, with both teams taking one point back home.
Defence
GK: Ter Stegen – 8/10: Marc Andre Ter Stegen showed his world class form. He wasn’t kept busy in the first half but was always prepared. In the second half he made 3 saves, with one impressive save from a shot by Negredo that looked like it was going in. Deserved the Man of the match, while keeping a clean sheet.
RB: Mingueza – 6/10: His offensive contribution was not that good, as Koeman was seen frustrated with it. However, when the team was defending, he did his part well.
CB: Araujo – 7.5/10: Another dominant display by the Uruguayan. He won 6 aerial duels and made 8 recoveries. He was well disciplined throughout the match.
CB: Pique – 7/10: Like his partner, Araujo, he was aerially dominant, and took some risky tackles which played out well, overall a good game for him.
LB: Dest – 6/10: Was an offensive threat towards Cadiz, he found himself in great areas but there was no end product as he missed an opportunity, and his crosses weren’t that good either.
Midfield
CM: Frenkie De Jong – 5.5/10: He was decent in his time given, before being dismissed with a harsh second yellow card, which saw him being sent off.
CDM: Busquets – 6/10: Positioned himself well above the defence, was more confident and more active with the ball, but when the game was shortened to 10 men, his play got weakened.
CM: Gavi – 7/10: In his first start for the Blaugrana, he played well. Always wanted the ball and showed no fear in possession. He put in some good balls into the box. But with the lack of offensive movement from his teammates, there was no end product.
Offence
LW: Memphis – 5.5/10: He was missing his usual form, as he missed a few chances, as well as a big chance missed. Displayed his flair in skills but didn’t result in much to benefit the team.
ST: Luuk De Jong – 5/10: Certainly, an improvement from his previous matches, but was clearly not good enough. Created a big chance for his countryman, Memphis. But he missed it, and that pretty much sums up his performance. He did not register a single shot in this match.
RW: Demir – 6/10: Didn’t do much in his given time, as he didn’t move much, and didn’t create much either. Which made Koeman disappointed in him, as he subbed him off.
Substitutes
CM: Roberto – 6.5/10: Made a few impactful passes, but the attack didn’t help him in his play.
LM: Coutinho – 5.5/10: Registered minimal impact on the game, not threatening the Cadiz defence
CM: Nico Gonzalez – 6/10: In his small amount of time given, he did fine but did not change much.
CM: Puig – 6/10: Given 10 minutes by Koeman, he tried his best but nearly gave a goal away with his first touch.
