FC Barcelona emerged as 2-1 victors from an intense clash against Jagoba Arrasate’s CA Osasuna side at the El Sadar stadium in Pamplona. The Catalans were faced by a rigid opponent but still managed to take home all three points from matchday four of their La Liga 2023/2024 campaign.
Expected to be tough opponents to break down, CA Osasuna turned out to be exactly that during the game as they went above and beyond to keep Barcelona at bay.
Irrespective of the challenges faced by La Blaugrana, Barcelona emerged as the winners and took their complete tally to 10 points across their first four games played in the Spanish First Division. Here is how the players fared:
Player Ratings:
Ter Stegen: 7.0
Cohesive in terms of his ball distribution and also rigid in terms of defending his goal from Osasuna, the German goalkeeper gave one of the solid performances that he has become all too recognized for.
Alejandro Balde: 6.5
The Spaniard, usually impressive with his skill and pace, was kept to only a shadow of his usual self by the Osasuna defense and structure. Has seen better days as a representative of the Barcelona first team.
Andreas Christensen: 7.0
The Danish defender was all too often called into action and his smart movements both on and off the ball were integral in ensuring Barcelona remained in control when they held possession. His strong partnership with Jules Kounde continues in the absence of Ronald Araujo.
Jules Kounde: 8.5
Undoubtedly and undeniably the most impressive Barcelona player on the field against Osasuna. A complete sentinel to break down in defense as well as being the one responsible for scoring Barca’s first goal of the game in their 2-1 victory.
Sergi Roberto: 6.0
A bit lethargic at times but was overall decent in terms of keeping his calm under pressure and ensuring Barcelona were the more comfortable side in terms of holding possession during the game.
Oriol Romeu: 6.5
Decent with his distribution but much more sluggish today in comparison to his usual displays thus far for FC Barcelona. His awareness and understanding have thus far been great assets for Barca to rely on, however.
Frenkie De Jong: 8.0
Absolute bossing the midfield as he has been accustomed to doing. His constant runs and progressive carries carved the way for FC Barcelona to find openings within the otherwise compact Osasuna structure.
Ilkay Gundogan: 8.0
His assist to Jules Kounde paved the way for the opening goal of the game and his intricate passing and shuffling throughout the course of the game allowed Barcelona to be presented with some of their best opportunities against CA Osasuna.
Gavi: 7.5
Immense in terms of his intensity and despite taking a heavy blow to his ear early on in the game, the young 19-year-old continued to fight for the Barcelona badge till the very end with both his body and his soul on the line with every tackle and interception he ended up making.
Lewandowski: 8.0
Scoring the winning goal of the game with his penalty after having won it himself, Lewandowski now has two goals in two games, slowly but gradually regaining his rhythm and making the runs that made him dangerous across last season as well.
Lamine Yamal: 7.0
Continues to showcase his dynamism and star power, but today’s game against Osasuna was a gentle reminder that he is still just 16 years old and needs time to fully be nurtured and developed to his best possible level.
Substitutes:
Ferran Torres: 6.5
Unable to score but still managed to be a positive in the match for as long as he was on the field. His runs off the ball and his constant offensive presence ensured that Osasuna stayed vary of him at all times.
Joao Cancelo: 7.0
Electric from the moment he came on, and as a highlight even delivered one of the most extravagant trivela crosses seen in a while at Barcelona. He shows great promise, and Barca fans should be eager to see more of him moving forward.
Inigo Martinez: 6.0
Rigid in defence and gave Osasuna no second chances as he cleared and brawled away every ball that came his way. It is clear that his style of play will suit Barcelona when they face more physical opponents during the course of the season.
Joao Felix: 6.0
Was not involved much in play but was incredibly sharp on the ball whenever he was presented an opportunity to do something with it.
Raphinha: N/A
Not enough time or involvement in the game to warrant a rating.
