PLAYER RATINGS : Barça vs Valencia (3-1)

Barça clinched 3 points at home vs Valencia. A very good response from the Blaugrana vs Valencia after the international break and a daunting run which made Barça look miserable. Barcelona looked much more composed and better, starting with Fati which gave the team more speed and fluidity in attack, with also Koeman experimenting Dest at right wing. Overall a game that all Cules should be happy with, excellent effort from the team, let’s hope that they carry over this form against Dynamo Kyiv, in the Champions League.

Defence

GK: Ter Stegen – 7/10: Despite conceding an early strike from Jose Gaya within the first 5 minutes of the game, he made an excellent save to keep out Guedes in the second half. Barcelona’s backline including Ter Stegen was calm and not troubled a lot in the second half. Also won the Man of the Match award.

RB: Roberto – 6.5/10: Played out of his preferred position, Roberto displayed a decent performance. Moreover, he eengaged in forward movements and was good in pressuring his opponents, only notable downside of his game was that he was often caught out of position.

CB: Eric Garcia – 7/10: As mentioned before, the backline wasn’t entertained in the second half, but he was good on the ball, wise on possession and distributing the ball nicely. 

CB: Pique – 7/10: A great performance from Pique, he always surrounding his player to mark, which was the physical, Maxi Gomez. A late threat by Valencia, was cut off by Pique, who calmly disposed the ball out of the danger zone.

LB: Alba – 7/10: In his first start back from a minor injury, Alba played well. Even though, usually his main contribution towards the team is in attack, he shined defensively. 

Midfield

CM: Gavi – 7/10: The Nations league runner up and youth sensation, Gavi, lit up the pitch again. His pressing was a little bit too much on point, as he racked up another yellow card, something he needs to work on avoiding, but with that all said and done, he played a great match, building up play and being crucial in key moments, such as Fati’s goal.

CDM: Busquets – 7/10: He held on and delivered possession quite well. Therefore, A solid performance from the captain.

CM: Frenkie De Jong – 7/10: The first half didn’t go quite well for the dutchman but he picked up his flow in the second half, moving and progressing ball smoothly from deep, and being an influential presence throughout the second term of the game.

Attack

RW: Dest – 7/10: Experimented on the right wing. Dest flourished, as he made chances and comfortably operated. One downside of his performance was that he is/was too predictable while with ball in in front of the defence. 

ST: Memphis – 8/10: A pivotal performance from the team’s key player. His off the ball movement was seen and was beneficial. Moreover, he offered a good assist to Fati to equalise, and Memphis, himself got onto the score sheet, scoring a powerful penalty pushing Barca forward. 

LW: Fati – 8/10: His elite mentality is left to be desired by many. Furthermore, the new number 10 provided of what the shirt demands, equalising with a great shot from outside the box. 

Substitutes

LW: Coutinho -7/10 : His colourful aura, gave Barca one more to the score sheet, scoring the dagger, and denying Valencia of any chance of a comeback. Therefore a great performance, hopefully he continues this form.

RB: Oscar Mingueza – 6.5/10: Added a bit more defensive stability to the side.

CM: Nico Gonzalez – 6.5/10: Helped solidify the midfield.

ST: Kun Aguero – N/A  : Not able to give him a rating due to the short amount of time he was given but the fans seemed to really like him, as the Camp Nou was chanting his name. 

Bottom line – Great win for Barça vs Valencia

Thomas Karackal