After a hard-fought game against Almeria was taken to the very end, Barcelona emerged with a 3-2 victory. A tense affair from start to finish, La Blaugrana made things much more difficult than they needed to be. However, Barcelona will just be happy to take away all three points from a complicated game.
In both goals that Barcelona conceded to Almeria, the Catalan giants were heavily unlucky. However, the sheer resilience and determination of Xavi’s team allowed them to keep getting up again and again. Ultimately, a Sergi Roberto brace proved to be exactly what they needed.
Here is how the players fared against Almeria:
Player Ratings:
Inaki Pena: 6.5
The Spanish goalkeeper should have done better for the first goal. He was unable to make himself big enough to keep Almeria from scoring right before the halftime whistle, and that goal complicated the game quite a lot. However, his biggest mistake came in the miscommunication with Araujo for Almeria’s second goal.
Joao Cancelo: 7.5
In terms of workrate, the Portuguese fullback made sure to put in the effort. Carrying the ball forward to redistribute to his teammates, as well as making runs back to his own defensive half to keep up with the Almeria forwards, Cancelo was pretty solid.
Andreas Christensen: 6.0
Arguably the weak link in the Barcelona defense, his positioning against Almeria was far from reassuring. A few shots in the first half for Almeria mainly came through Christensen’s inability to mark his player properly.
Ronald Araujo: 6.5
Was unlikely to have played the Almeria forward onside for their first goal, but was otherwise solid in the first half. His headed effort was also the reason Barcelona were able to score the first goal. However, his mistake for Almeria’s second goal nearly cost Barça all three points.
Alejandro Balde: 7.0
A much more energetic version of Alejandro Balde was once again at display. His runs constantly thwarted the Almeria defense and created a lot of uncertainty among the players of the opposition.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7.5
Arguably the most reliable midfielder on the field, Gundogan’s performance was quite the sight to see. His passes, vision, and overall creativity helped Barcelona create a lot of danger in this game.
Sergi Roberto: 8.5
Unlike his midfield partners, Sergi Roberto did not have many flashy moments of quality. However, what he did have was resilience. This resilience allowed him to be the author of both the second and third goals for Barcelona on the night, with both being crucial for them.
Fermin Lopez: 6.5
The youngster had his moments of frustration, and was not at his best level. Despite his usual quality, the Spaniard couldn’t do much more than string together a few impressive passes. However, he also was just as slow in reacting to certain good positions.
Raphinha: 8.5
In terms of goal contributions, the Brazilian winger was the most impactful player. Scoring the opening goal and then assisting the second one for Barcelona, Raphinha was a great servant for Barça in a tense game. Was replaced by Lamine Yamal near the 80th minute to bring in some freshness, however.
Robert Lewandowski: 7.0
While the Polish striker was rather unlucky not to have gotten on the scoresheet, he was helpful in other ways. His assist for Sergi Roberto’s second goal was quite the intricate pass. Apart from that, his consistent runs kept thwarting Almeria’s goal.
Joao Felix: 6.0
In terms of influence, Joao Felix was arguably the least impactful player in the first half. Despite some clever flicks, most of his attempts were rather tame or unsuccessful. Was one of the first to be replaced in the game by Xavi Hernandez.
Substitutes:
Ferran Torres: 7.0
Arguably the most impactful substitution made by Xavi on the night, Ferran Torres entered and instantly gave Barcelona a boost. His speed, agility, and tenacity in front of the goal were all key in opening up a lot more spaces in the Almeria defense than Barcelona were able to do so in the first half.
Jules Kounde: 6.0
Definitely felt like an improvement over Andreas Christensen, the Frenchman was a decent change made by Xavi. Held his own until the end of the game.
Oriol Romeu: 6.5
The Spaniard was introduced to help bring stability to the Barcelona midfield, and that is exactly what he did. Some key duels were won by him that were all great additions that Barça welcomed into the game with open arms.
Lamine Yamal: N/A
Not enough influence or time on the field to warrant a rating.
