PLAYER RATINGS: Barça vs Espanyol (1-0)

The Barcelona derby ends well for Barça, as Xavi and his players beat Espanyol. Here are the Player Ratings of the win last night.

Defense

GK: Ter Stegen – 7/10: Ter Stegen, actually played a quite decent game, after a poor run of form. He maintained a 100% pass accuracy, while making 3 saves also denying a late equaliser.

LB: Alba – 7/10: His involvement in the left flank reduced due to Xavi’s new game plan but nonetheless played well.

CB: Eric Garcia – 7.5/10: The young Catalan defender has turned his performances around in the last couple of games, and this game just shows his improvement. His ball playing abilities, and confidence shined out and was the main man in defence.

CB: Pique – 6/10: A rather decent night for the veteran defender, he did his job as told and like Eric, he was involved in the build-up, as his ball playing abilities helped. He was also decent defensively.

RB: Mingueza – 5.5/10: Not the best of nights for Mingueza, and anyone that saw the match could confirm that he had a hard time. Defensively he was very weak, as it opened chances for Espanyol to equalise, but luckily, they couldn’t capitalise. He has a lot to improve on and it is quite certain now that his best role is as a centre back playing in a back 3.

Midfield

CM: Nico Gonzalez – 7.5/10: Continuing his good run of form, Nico has produced yet another stellar performance for the Blaugrana. His involvement in the high press and distribution of the ball was great. He is finding himself to be a crucial asset to the midfield, in the coming years.

CDM: Busquets – 7/10: The captain once again played well; age is not a factor to slow him from playing well. He produced 2 key passes, and even shot the ball a few times fearlessly, something that we should see more from him.

CM: De Jong – 8/10: A bad run of form made fans doubt his abilities and some were even pushing to sell the Dutch gem, but Frenkie seemed to have found himself on his feet again and silenced his critics. His advanced position up the field made him more involved in the attack, while he produced 3 key passes.

Attack

RW: Ilias Akhomach – 6/10 Making his debut under Xavi at just 17 years of age, Ilias couldn’t quite hack into the game, as he was replaced soon at the half-time mark.

ST: Memphis – 7.5/10 After rumours that the Dutchman’s role will be limited under Xavi, Memphis had a comfortable night, as he won a penalty and successfully converted it into a goal and eventual winner. He could’ve had more goals to his name, but let’s focus and celebrate on the positives first.

LW: Gavi – 7.5/10 After struggling in his new role as winger in the past few games, Gavi broke free and produced another wonderful performance under Xavi. Dribbling in tight areas and providing some clever balls in to the box, he was outstanding.

Substitutes

Abde – 8/10 Coming on for Ilias, Abde looked much more of a threat compared to Ilias, he managed to complete 6 dribbles in 45 minutes, while getting a shot on target. He was amazing in his second half performance. He looks like someone Xavi could really use in the future.

Coutinho – 6/10

Puig – 6/10

Demir – 5/10

Thomas Karackal