Barca’s Goal scoring streak ended with a 0-0 draw against Galatasaray. The last time Xavi’s men failed to score was December 8th, 2021 against Bayern Munich (3-0)
Xavi has decided to rotate his team keeping in mind the upcoming fixtures and Galatasaray’s poor run of form but the Turkish side lived up to the occasion and surprised the Catalan giants with the defensive efforts while maintaining a very low block. Although Barca started the game as favorites and had an upper hand because of their recent performances but failed to break Galatasaray’s lines of defense. Barca loane Iñaki Peña returned to Camp Nou and was excellent last night. He was calm and composed on the ball at his feet and was commanding in the air. He made a couple of excellent saves as well. Xavi was full of praises for the La Masia goalkeeper after the match.
Player Ratings
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6.0
Although Ter stagen wasn’t tested much in this game. He did concede from Bafétimbi Gomis’s shot which was ruled out as off-side.
Sergino Dest: 7.5
Dest had another great performance under his belt. He was solid defensively and linked up well with the midfield as well. He has shown signs of Improvement and trying to fit in Xavi’s inverted left-back role.
Ronald Araujo: 5.5
Ronald Araujo looked off-color and had some shaky moments. He has his limitations on the ball and beating the first line of press but tonight he wasn’t able to pick some easy passes and failed to find his teammates on several occasions in the first half. Xavi took him off after the first half and rightly so.
Eric Garcia: 6.5
Eric Garcia has been handed the opportunity to prove himself and to give Pique some rest and he didn’t disappoint. He was good on the ball and also defended well.
Jordi Alba: 7.5
Jordi Alba started the game wearing the captain’s armband and had a decent game as well. He was not at his usual best but his performance was far from being bad. His shot from outside the box just missed the target and wasn’t far away. He did provide the width and put in some great crosses inside the box.
Frenkie De Jong: 6.5
Frenkie was asked to step foot in Busquet’s role as the latter was rested. Frenkie’s profile has much more to offer in the advanced midfield positions as he is one of the best ball progressors in the world but playing in a deeper role with defensive responsibilities on his shoulders did limit his potential. He looked a bit off-color in the opening half and also missed a goal-scoring opportunity by hitting the inside of the post. With the arrival of Busquets in the 2nd half, he looked a bit lively.
Pedri: 7.0
Pedri was not up to the mark in the first half but improved his game in the 2nd half and connected well with the front line. He pulled off some sublime passes and created some good chances but unfortunately, Barca’s front line was not clinical enough to convert those chances into goal-scoring opportunities.
Nico: 5.0
Nico looked way too slow and lethargic in his actions which was surprising. This was a huge opportunity for him to prove his worth but he didn’t live up to the occasion.
Adama: 6.5
Adama tried to cut and cross as he usually does but most of the time his crosses were well dealt with by Galatasaray’s defensive line as he was too much predictable with his moves. However, he did create some good chances but most of the time spilled by his teammates.
Memphis: 5.0
Memphis attempted two good shots which were well dealt by Inaki Pena. Overall he had a tough game. He looked a bit rusty most of the time. Memphis Depay is a good player but not the kind of player best suited for a possession-based system, especially against teams with low blocks and tight spaces.
Ferran: 5.0
Ferran Torres had probably his worst game in Bluagarana colors since he joined. He looked lost and hadn’t contributed much as he usually does and his off-the-ball movements were also not synced.
Substitutes
Busquets: 7.0
Busquets made an instant impact and Barca looked more comfortable on the ball and going forward as well. Busquets’s arrival allowed Frenkie to go forward a lot more and it helped Barca dominate possession in threatening areas.
Pique: 7.5
Pique replaced Ronald Araujo in the 2nd half. He had an instant impact as well and Barca improved significantly in building up the play from the back and ball rotation. He was solid defensively as well.
Dembele: 5.0
Dembele looked lost and totally off-color. He was trying to dribble past players but every time he ended up losing possession in dangerous areas.
Aubameyang: 5.5
Auba tried to change the game but wasn’t as clinical as he was in his previous games.
Luuk De Jong: N/A
His participation was too minimal to be rated. He barely touched the ball.
