Fc Barcelona triumphed past Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao by putting 4 past the Basque club and conceding not even once. Barca News Network presents you the Player Ratings from the encounter against Athletic Bilbao.
Player Ratings:
Ter Stegen: 6.5
Wasn’t called much into action for most of the game, but was tested to an extent in the second half. Made a blunder that almost cost the clean sheet, but luckily it was cleared by the other defenders.
Balde: 7.5
Quick, tricky to defend, and a constant menace both in offense and defense, Balde had quite a solid outing.
Eric Garcia: 7.0
Started the game rather sluggishly, but managed to get into it as time progressed. Was
crucial in protecting the clean sheet after Ter Stegen’s mistake.
Kounde: 8.0
Absolutely classy in his defensive output, as well as crucially important in his ball progression. The rest of the defensive line seems to look to him for setting an example.
Roberto: 8.0
His second outing in succession where he must be applauded, Roberto topped off his complete performance against Bilbao with a goal as well.
Busquets: 7.0
Was considerably efficient in tonight’s game, in both passing and breaking up the opposition’s play, the captain is slowly regaining the trust of the fanbase back.
De Jong: 7.5
Classy as ever, De Jong is a master of many trades as has been evident this season. Now
returned to his usual central midfielder duties with the Catalans, the Dutchman committed to them with absolute ease and efficiency.
Gavi: 7.0
Was completely and utterly ferocious and effective while he was on the pitch, the recent Golden Boy winner had to sadly be brought off after suffering a rather painful knock.
Pedri: 7.0
Deployed as a left winger, Pedri did his own best to indulge himself according to Xavi’s game plan. It served the entirety of the team well, as this hybrid of a winger-midfielder allowed Barcelona to completely dampen Bilbao’s own tactical setup.
Lewandowski: 8.5
Set up a goal for Dembele and then scored a brilliant one himself, which coincidentally was an assist from said Frenchman, Lewandowski now leads the Pichichi race with 12 league goals to his name.
Dembele: 9.5
Arguably one of the best Dembele performances that have ever been witnessed in a Barcelona shirt, the Frenchman was simply unplayable. With 1 goal and 3 assists to his name, it was simply a masterclass by the Frenchman.
Substitutes:
Kessie: 5.5
Was effective enough, but maybe could have been expected to score a few goals given the
chances he was given.
Ansu Fati: 6.0
Maybe should have scored on one or two occasions, but Fati seems to be on the right track in terms of regaining full-match fitness and capabilities.
Alonso: 6.0
Was more or less solid, and did not have much to do or cover given Barcelona’s rather dominant control over the game.
Ferran Torres: 7.5
Made life even more difficult for Unai Simon since the moment he came on, consistently testing the Spanish keeper and then ending up scoring soon after.
Pablo Torre: N/A
Pablo Torre did not get enough time on the pitch to be given a rating.
