A 6 goal thriller at the Camp Nou saw FC Barcelona win 4-2 against Atletico Madrid. Dominating a shaky Atletico side in the first half, put Barca in snooze mode in the second half. Something Xavi needs to fix with the team, as this is not new. We’ve seen it against Celta Vigo, earlier this season. Barca tend to doze off to sleep allowing the opposition to clap back. Luckily this time, however Barca didn’t give it up. It was an excellent performance by the team, and pushes Barca into top 4, and with Betis losing, Xavi’s team can climb to 3rd place if they win next matchday.
Defense
- GK: Ter Stegen – 6/10 Not an awful performance, but the defence wasn’t good enough to prevent the goals, his passing was good, and helped progress the ball forward. Decent performance.
- RB: Dani Alves – 8/10 A great performance from the Brazilian legend, a goal and an assist, and his involvement in the game was excellent, all until a silly tackle on Carrasco which saw him sent off.
- CB: Araujo – 7.5/10 Defensively he could be a bit better but Atleti’s lack of a finishing touch helped him, but his offensive workrate is immense as he saw his name on the scoresheet.
- CB: Pique – 7.5/10 This season has been great for Pique in terms of individual performances. His ball distribution is top notch, as it helped Barcelona move forward vs Atletico. Pique has been really underrated this season.
- LB: Alba – 8/10 With his screamer, Alba celebrated to shut down his critics. Jordi Alba wasn’t at fault for anything this match, and he pulled up a good performance. He complimented his teammates well and did his thing. With proper rest, he will provide more performances like this.
Midfield
- CM: Frenkie De Jong – 7.5/10 Arguably one of the best Frenkie performances of the season. De Jong was seen playing in a deeper position. He pressed with great aggression and was always distributing well. We need more of this, hats off to Xavi for using him well.
- CDM: Busquets – 7/10 Not a bad performance, he was good in the first half, but the team was very sloppy in the second half with Busquets a part of it.
- CM: Pedri – 7/10 A quiet but effective performance from Pedri, he was involved in the play, and combined with the right flank very well.
Attack
- RW: Traore – 8/10 In his return back to the Camp Nou, The Spaniard was a beast, he was a threat to the Atleti defence and bulldozed through them without a drop of sweat. He played in some good crosses and got himself an assist. Clever signing to replace Dembele for now.
- ST: Ferran Torres – 6/10 Despite getting a goal contribution, Torres wasn’t all that amazing. He needs to step up, but time needs to be given to him.
- LW: Gavi – 8/10 Another electrifying performance from Gavi, as he picked up a goal and was destroying Atleti, all this at the age of 17.
Substitutes
- Aubameyang: 6/10 Couldn’t do much in his debut, hopefully he starts next game, and gets his chance to shine.
- Nico Gonzalez: 6.5/10 Helped Barcelona defend vs Atletico as Alves got the red card.
- Dest: 6/10 Stopped a counter and tried his best. As Alves would be out for the next match, and barring any surprises, Dest would be starting against Espanyol.
Discover more from Barça Buzz
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.