Barcelona have put in one of the best performances of this season against Real Betis tonight. The Catalan club hosted Los Verdiblancos at the Montjuic Stadium and whilst the fans were expecting a tougher game, Blaugranes nullified their opponents from the first minute of the game.
This performance was a breath of fresh air after a rather underwhelming start to the season from Xavi’s men. Beating one of La Liga’s most formidable sides in this fashion will surely be a big boost for the club. Here is how the players fared:
Player Ratings
Ter Stegen: 7.5
Ter Stegen didn’t face much danger in the game but still pulled off an extraordinary save. His distribution was as good as always and he got himself another well-deserved clean sheet.
Jules Kounde: 8.0
Kounde was a crucial part of nullifying this Betis threat. He continued his great run of form at the heart of the defense with another performance where he looked absolutely unbeatable.
Andreas Christensen: 7.5
The Dane was not tested enough but he still remained very calm and composed whenever danger arrived. He did well with aerial duels and stopped a couple of Betis counter-attacks.
Alejandro Balde: 8.0
Whilst his final ball was lacking a bit, Balde absolutely destroyed former teammate Hector Bellerin in every single duel. His role was crucial in allowing Joao Felix to cut inside oftentimes and pull off a spectacular performance.
Joao Cancelo: 8.5
The man has finally arrived. The team looked so much better with a world-class right back. Cancelo was incredible in the build-up, inverting into the midfield. He was also a constant danger in attack and he capped off his performance with an extraordinary goal.
Oriol Romeu: 7.5
Romeu continues to prove himself as a very decent signing. He was very good in his defensive duels and played some very good balls in attack.
Gavi: 8.5
Put Gavi in midfield and Barcelona look so much better. Tonight may not have been his flashiest performance, but his defensive work rate was incredible and he was absolutely crucial in keeping Isco silent throughout the game.
Frenkie De Jong: 7.5
Frenkie putting in world-class performances every week is a given now. He evaded pressure nicely and was vital in ball retention. You could barely see the Real Betis midfield in action tonight and so much credit goes to Frenkie De Jong for that.
Joao Felix: 9.0
Whether it was providing killer passes, making use of the space between the lines, or taking shots at goal, Felix excelled at all these attributes tonight. He combined really well with Lewandowski and played a beautiful dummy to set up his goal.
Lewandowski: 8.0
Lewandowski looked sharper than he was for the last few weeks and showed excellent awareness. He combined well with Felix and racked up 2 assists and a goal. A decent performance.
Ferran Torres: 7.5
Not Ferran’s finest performance, but Cules will remember it for that immense free-kick goal. Ferran scored Barca’s first free-kick goal since Lionel Messi scored the last one in 2021. And Ferran’s contributions were decent enough overall as well. He’s starting to look like the player Barcelona bought.
Substitutes:
Raphinha: 8.0
Scored with one of his first touches of the game and looked very good in general. The Brazilian made it clear that he was ready to fight for his spot on the wing
Lamine Yamal: 7.5
The youngster wasn’t very comfortable playing on the left but he still managed to rack up a few nutmegs and made the home crowd cheer.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7.0
Made a couple of decent runs into the box. He came on when Barcelona were in firm control of the game and he helped the Catalans finish the game without much problems.
Inigo Martinez: N/A
The Spaniard came on when Barcelona were comfortably dominating the game and looked defensively assured. He also committed a tactical foul to stop a Real Betis counter-attack which got him a yellow card. He can be a huge asset in upcoming games for Barcelona.
Marcos Alonso: N/A
Not enough time or effort to warrant a rating.
