Barcelona player ratings: Messi, Griezmann lead Barca to victory over Athletic Club
Barcelona got goals from Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann to beat Athletic Bilbao on Sunday in La Liga, 2-1. The victors got a bit of revenge on Marcelino and company after defeat in the Spanish Super Cup, with the defense performing much better as Barca won their fifth game in a row in the league.
But how did each Barca’s players perform in this one? Here are our player ratings for the match for the winners.
All ratings are out of 10, and the higher the number the better. A zero would be a first-minute red card. A 10 would be like a dominant hat trick.
Barcelona player ratings
|
Name |
How did they do? |
Rating |
|
(GK) Marc-Andre Ter Stegen |
Had very little to do. Just face two shots and was strong when needed on crosses. |
6 |
|
(DEF) Jordi Alba |
Got forward well, connected with Messi and almost scored a late goal. Helped contain Raul Garcia, too. Did have an own goal. |
6.5 |
|
(DEF) Samuel Umtiti |
Still a tad slow and doesn’t look all that fit, but he really wasn’t bothered much in this one as Athletic were off their game. |
6 |
|
(DEF) Ronald Araujo |
Encouraging display. Put himself in strong positions to cut off angles and apply pressure. |
7 |
|
(DEF) Oscar Mingueza |
Recorded the winning assist with a great ball across the face of goal. He continues to make a name for himself. |
8 |
|
(MID) Frenkie de Jong |
Didn’t threaten goal like he has as of late, and at times he didn’t make the right runs when needed. But he kept the ball well and played into space in a timely way. |
7 |
|
(MID) Miralem Pjanic |
Still not looking all that comfortable but did have a decent header chance in the second half. Was taken off shortly after. |
5 |
|
(MID) Pedri |
Frustrated the Athletic defense with his quick cuts and skill. He was confident on the ball and played forward well. |
6 |
|
(FWD) Antoine Griezmann |
A strong shift from the Frenchman. He got the winner, had three shots and did well to get the ball inside of the box. A performance to build on. |
8 |
|
(FWD) Lionel Messi |
The star, as usual. His free kick was absolutely exceptional. He was the biggest threat in attack and delivered once again. |
8 |
|
(FWD) Ousmane Dembele |
Just a non-factor down the right. No shots on goal and never even came close to making an impact. |
4 |
|
(SUB 1) Sergi Roberto |
Came in for Pjanic and added some more possession to his side in 23 minutes of play. |
6 |
|
(SUB 2) Clement Lenglet |
Late sub to hold on to the win. |
N/A |
|
(SUB 3) Martin Braithwaite |
A time-wasting sub for Dembele. |
N/A |
|
Manager Ronald Koeman |
The young guys stepped up, and they looked confidence. There is a positive vibe in this side at the moment, but perhaps Dembele should have been pulled earlier. |
6 |