Barça 2-1 Espanyol: Player Ratings
Progression to the semis and here’s how the players did.
Jasper Cillessen
Did not have a massive amount to deal with as Espanyol offered little going forward but he did everything that was asked of him.
You say: 7
Sam says: 7
Sergi Roberto
Not as impactful as he has been in the past but that is most likely due to Vidal’s pace on the wing. Defensively, he was good.
You say: 7
Sam says: 7
Samuel Umtiti
Undoubtedly his highlight was a glourois last man, back-heel interception. Solid as a rock throughout.
You say: 8
Sam says: 8
Gerard Piqué
Marshalled the ball well and looked to start attacks whenever possible.
You say: 8
Sam says: 7
Jordi Alba
Not so much of there Messi-Alba connection this time but Alba was an option whenever called upon.
You say: 7
Sam says: 7
Sergio Busquets
Espanyol rarely looked like they were going to unleash a counterattack but if they did, Busquets was ready to stop them. His passing kept the team ticking along.
You say: 8
Sam says: 8
Andrés Iniesta
Kept the play moving quickly which was important given the first leg scoreline. Left the field for new boy Coutinho just after the hour mark.
You say: 8
Sam says: 8
Ivan Rakitić
Effective from the midfield as he helped to win the midfield battle while looking to find the front three as much as possible.
You say: 8
Sam says: 7
Aleix Vidal
A very good performance from Vidal especially as not long ago he was considered by some as surplus to requirements. His cross to Suárez was technically very difficult as he had to match pace with precision in order to find his teammate but he achieved it.
You say: 8
Sam says: 8
Luis Suárez
A master of contortion for the first goal as he arched his body to meet a cross that was moving quickly at him. Suárez overall game was also very good, putting to bed any doubts that his form had gone forever.
You say: 8
Sam says: 8
Lionel Messi
No surprise really as he was the most influential player again. One aspect of this game inparticular was his desire to win the ball back. For both the goals, possession was won back by Messi. Fitting that he scored the 4,000th goal at Camp Nou.
You say: 9
Sam says: 9
Philippe Coutinho
One of the most natural debuts you are likely to see. The Brazilian did not seem fazed by the potentially daunting ground ahead of him. Instead he did not try anything too fancy, kept it simple but added some Brazlian flair. A little glimpse of what is to come.
You say: 8
Sam says: 8
Paulinho
Played half an hour but was not overly impactful.
You say: 7
Sam says: 7
Andre Gomes
Only played few minutes.
You say: 6
Sam says: N/A
Ernesto Valverde
The rotated players performed very well and the tactic seemed to be, score as early as possible and settle the nerves. With the game won, Valverde was able to give a debut to Coutinho.
You say: 8
Sam says: 9
The Team
Two early goals relieved any pressure of a cup exit and from there it was just a case of game management.
You say: 8
Sam says: 8
MOTM
You say: Messi
Sam says: Messi
MOTMOTM
You say: Suárez
Sam says: Suárez
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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