A frustrating night for FC Barcelona ends with the Catalan giants only gaining one point. While Real Madrid dropped points elsewhere, Barça could not make the most of their opportunity. Ultimately, Barcelona come away with just a scoreless draw against Athletic Club.
Beyond just the points and the collective result, there are even more worries to be concerned about. Both Pedri and Frenkie De Jong got injured in the game and have now fallen victim to untimely injuries. For Barcelona, these two sidelined players could have been crucial.
Here is how the Barcelona players fared.
Player Ratings:
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 6.0
Barely troubled, the German goalkeeper did not have much to do in this game. However, he did manage to keep a clean sheet that will not feel nearly as good given the inability of Barcelona to score on the other end.
Joao Cancelo: 7.0
In terms of creating danger, Joao Cancelo was the one Barcelona player who stood out. His quick feet almost always have Athletic Club problems, and Barcelona were quite reliant on his width and positioning to break away from the pressure and create their own.
Ronald Araujo: 7.0
The Uruguayan defender, alongside Pau Cubarsi, had a strong defensive outing. His physicality, awareness, and great presence allowed him to keep Athletic Club in a constant state of worry.
Pau Cubarsi: 7.5
Exceptionally aware both with the ball and without it, Pau Cubarsi continues to excel as a starter. Despite his young age, the Spanish defender continued to make the right decisions until the very end. Solid outing once again for Cubarsi.
Jules Kounde: 6.5
The Frenchman was a constant for Barcelona both offensively and defensively. His constant devotion to continue helping Barcelona in every facet of the game ultimately helped the Catalan giants be at ease whenever the ball came on their right flank.
Andreas Christensen: 6.5
Christensen managed to ensure that Barcelona kept fighting in midfield until the end. His aggression and physicality helped the Catalan giants a lot in terms of matching their opponents’ stride for stride. Ultimately, however, all he could help his team muster was a clean sheet.
Frenkie De Jong: 6.5
One of the two key players injured for Barcelona in this game, Frenkie De Jong’s injury was unfortunate. The Dutchman was having a solid outing until he ultimately suffered an unbalanced landing on his ankle that now sees him become a doubt for the Napoli game.
Ilkay Gundogan: 6.5
The German midfielder tried to use his maturity to help Barcelona retain control of the game. However, as is often the case with Athletic, chaos prevailed. Gundogan’s attempts were commendable, but ultimately fruitless. The former Manchester City man could unfortunately not add to his impressive creative stats during the game.
Pedri: 6.0
Injured in the first half along with Frenkie De Jong, Pedri’s departure from the game was premature. With a supposed relapse of his hamstring injury, it seems that the Spaniard will likely now miss a crucial chunk of the remainder of the season.
Robert Lewandowski: 5.5
Once again a rather dull performance for Robert Lewandowski, the Polish striker did not have the influence he would have wanted. It is also true that Barcelona did not have much success in finding their ace in this game as well.
Raphinha: 6.5
Arguably the most active forward on the field, the Brazilian winger tried his best on several occasions to break through a resilient Athletic Club defense. Ultimately, Raphinha’s efforts were to be in vain as Barcelona very rarely managed to create danger.
Substitutes:
Fermin Lopez: 6.5
The youngster’s dynamic approach to the game remained from the start to the end. Not once did it seem like Fermin Lopez would be stopping or that he would run out of fuel.
Lamine Yamal: 6.5
The young pearl of La Masia gave Barcelona a feeling of slight hope. Despite creating a lot of danger, he could ultimately not help the team score that decisive goal.
Oriol Romeu: N/A
Was not involved enough to warrant a rating.
Joao Felix: N/A
Barely involved, not enough to warrant a rating.
Inigo Martinez: 6.0
The Spaniard was booed by his former fans a lot, but he displayed solid maturity. Decent cameo from him.
