FC Barcelona wrap up their first official home game of the season with a strong victory over Athletic Club. Many considered this to be the second big test for the Catalan giants this season, and the team emerged victorious. Despite not having their full squad available, Barcelona managed a 2-1 victory over Ernesto Valverde’s side.
Courtesy of goals from Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, Hansi Flick’s men were able to get all three points against the visitors and now have a perfect record in La Liga so far. With six out of six points won from their first two games, Flick’s era at the club has gotten off to a good start.
Here are the player ratings for the Barcelona players against Athletic Club.
Player Ratings:
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 6.5
Not exactly a match where the German goalkeeper was worked too much by the Athletic Club attackers, but he did concede a goal due to a penalty conceded by Pau Cubarsi that he could not have done much about.
Alejandro Balde: 6.5
Much more restricted this time, Alejandro Balde was often given very little space to exploit against Athletic Club. However, this allowed his teammates to have a lot more freedom to exploit the spaces that were then left vacant by Athletic Club to deal with Balde when he had the ball.
Inigo Martinez: 8.0
An impressive showing from the veteran defender against his former club, Inigo Martinez was a warrior for Barcelona. His passing through the lines initiated a lot of positive attacks for the team and his defensive resilience was consistent enough to keep Athletic Club intimidated.
Pau Cubarsi: 6.5
Despite giving away an unfortunate penalty in the first half, the overall display from Pau Cubarsi was very solid. His defensive contributions were commendable but so was his passing ability through the lines.
Jules Kounde: 7.5
A strong defensive outing from Jules Kounde on the right flank helped Barcelona control Nico Williams as much as possible. Moreover, while he was not always effective while going forward, the Frenchman did his best to thwart Athletic Club in offensive areas as well.
Marc Bernal: 7.5
A standing ovation for Marc Bernal was simply the cherry on top of the cake. Playing alongside veterans of the game, the young teenager never seemed out of place. Great tempo control and consistently solid distribution helped the player establish himself as a great help to Barcelona.
Pedri: 9.0
Magical, composed, and always a step ahead of his opponents when it comes to understanding what is happening on the field, Pedri was immaculate against Athletic Club. From his runs to his passes to his perfect ball control, the young Barcelona midfielder truly does change the game for this team.
Ferran Torres: 6.0
A much better performance from Ferran Torres compared to his Valencia outing, his runs were especially notable. His end product in the final third, however, still needs a lot of work.
Raphinha: 8.0
From start to finish, Raphinha looked very comfortable in the heart of the team’s attack. His link-up play was more than solid against Athletic Club and he constantly helped his teammates get engaged in dangerous-looking areas.
Lamine Yamal: 7.5
The young Barcelona pearl was the man who broke the deadlock with a great finish to open the scoring for his team. He did have some other great moments as well throughout the game, but could not constantly thwart Athletic Club as he would have hoped to do.
Robert Lewandowski: 7.5
While most of the plaudits that Robert Lewandowski will receive for this game will be linked directly to the goal he scored, his play even apart from that was solid today. From his link-up with his teammates to his hold-up play against Athletic Club, it was a good outing for the Polish ace.
Substitutes:
Fermin Lopez: 6.0
As soon as Fermin Lopez came on the pitch, he brought a sense of energy and tenacity that was clearly contagious.
Eric Garcia: N/A
Not enough influence or time on the field to warrant a rating.
Gerard Martin: N/A
Not enough influence or time on the field to warrant a rating.
Pau Victor: N/A
Not enough influence or time on the field to warrant a rating.
