Series of questionable decisions and persistent stubbornness led to Koeman’s nightmare of a tenure at Valencia. Similarly, those factors caused Koeman’s Barcelona to drop more points today vs Valencia. Even if some individual mistakes are at fault for the 2-2 draw, the blame should go on the coach for repeatedly playing a broken system. But in this article, I’ll also be reviewing and assessing how every FC Barcelona player fared versus Valencia and did their job.
Barcelona’s Player Ratings
Starting XI: ter Stegen;
Dest, Araújo, Mingueza, and Jordi Alba;
Pedri and Busquets;
Coutinho;
Griezmann, Messi, and Braithwaite.
Substitutions:
46’ ｜Busquets ↔ de Jong
73’ ｜Griezmann ↔ Trincã o
79’ ｜Coutinho ↔ Lenglet
86’ ｜Pedri ↔ Pjanić
The Defense
Ter Stegen (7): The German shot-stopper could’ve done more to prevent the two goals. But in retrospect, he made crucial saves to avoid total embarrassment from taking place.
Araújo (8): Though the Uruguayan youngster is at some fault for conceding the opener, he “redeemed” himself with a superb goal that got Barcelona their second of the match. Overall, a commendable performance.
Mingueza (7.5): Much like Araújo, Mingueza’s naivety can be identified when Valencia scored the equalizer. However, he had a great game and is making a serious case as to why he is starting and should start over Lenglet.
Dest & Jordi Alba (7): The two full-backs were key in maintaining the “width” Barcelona had. Even if they did not make any outstanding mistakes, they certainly did not perform at their best level.
The Midfield
Busquets (6.5): Busquets had a smooth start to the match. Although as the halftime mark approached, he started making simple errors that allowed Valencia to gain momentum.
Pedri (7.5): Coutinho’s presence limited the 18-year-old’s performance and what he could do on the pitch. Despite that, the youngster continued to impress through creating chances, chasing the ball, and showing some fight.
Coutinho (6.5): For the majority of the match, the Brazilian seemed to be lost and helpless, but he grew into the game as it progressed. He created some dangerous chances towards the end of the 90 minutes. But, it was nowhere near enough to help the Catalans get the three points.
The Attack
Griezmann (6.5): Even though Griezmann has been much more involved in the recent games, he still lacks the confidence and finishing touch to make the difference – as he arguably missed another sitter.
Messi (8): Despite missing the penalty, Messi still managed to head the rebound and equalize the score. Doing so, he equaled Pelé’s record for the most goals scored for a single club by one person, 643. In general, the Argentine seemed like the only person to be a threat to Valencia’s keeper, as most of the attacking play came through the little magician.
Braithwaite (6.5): Braithwaite had a couple of moments in the opposition box, but it wasn’t good enough to convert into a goal-scoring opportunity.
The Substitutes:
de Jong (7.5): Frenkie’s dynamism was much needed today. He was crucial in making recoveries in decisive parts of the pitch and was pivotal in carrying the ball forward. Hopefully, the Dutchman’s injury was not risked today.
Trincão (6.5): The Portuguese has been poor in the past few games, but Ronald Koeman still gave him another chance. Today, he brought more strength and danger, but his lapse in decision-making still weighed him down.
Pjanić & Lenglet (6.5): These two substitutions were questionable in their respective ways, and they failed to make an impact on the game as well.
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