Following an enthralling 4-3 victory, FC Barcelona return from their clash against Villarreal having just competed in arguably one of the games of the season across the European leagues.
FC Barcelona went to the Estadio De La Ceramica expecting one of their hardest challenges of the La Liga EA Sports 2023/2024 campaign, and they got exactly that in the shape of a Villarreal side coached well by Quique Setien.
Despite the hurdles faced, having even conceded three times to have their 2-0 lead be jeopardized, Barcelona managed to fight back and take away all three points to add to their tally. Here is how the players fared:
Player Ratings:
Ter Stegen: 7.0
Despite a solid performance for most of the game, it could be argued that he may have done a better job for at least one of the goals conceded. Not his best day at the office, but certainly not his worst either.
Marcos Alonso: 6.0
The former Chelsea man was rather frustrating to watch at times. His lack of speed and tenacity led Barcelona to be on the back foot on various occasions and he also seemed quite out of position on certain occasions as well.
Andreas Christensen: 6.5
The Danish defender was strong during the first half of the game and despite conceding twice, was having a good game in his own right. Ended up being the first Barcelona substitute of the game, however.
Jules Kounde: 7.5
The Frenchman was solid centrally and consistently thwarted Villarreal as well as he could. Even made some darting runs forward that created offensive chances and provided his midfielders a new outlet to turn to.
Sergi Roberto: 6.5
The captain was good at driving forward and providing his teammates an outlet to pass to, but his lack of speed and physicality consistently let him down when Villarreal were the ones on the offensive.
Oriol Romeu: 7.5
Was great in possession and quick to dispatch it when the pressure piled up on him. Even attempted some great efforts at goal that possibly foreshadows his ability to have a pop from distance at goal, a trait that could potentially be an asset for Barcelona moving forward.
Ilkay Gundogan: 8.0
Provided pass after pass with elegant precision and kept ensuring Barcelona kept their play going and retained possession even when Villarreal were insistent on pressing them out of it.
Frenkie De Jong: 8.5
Scored a well-placed finish to add a goal to Barcelona’s opener, the Dutchman glided and weaved his way past defenders effortlessly all game long and provided some killer passes to his teammates as well.
Gavi: 8.0
Tenacious as ever, and made sure the absence of Pedri was not felt at any level. His technical ability and hunger for winning every duel for Barcelona was rewarded with a goal that opened the scoring for the Catalans.
Lewandowski: 7.5
While the striker is still not at his best, he did manage to score the winning goal for Barcelona in an enthralling game that was only possible due to his good positioning.
Lamine Yamal: 9.0
Dazzling and unnerving as ever for FC Barcelona, the 16-year-old deserved a rightful ovation for a performance that showed quality expected of ages well beyond his own. Delightful game from him and an amazing assist to open up the scoring as well. The winning goal by Lewandowski was also possible due to the youngster’s shot.
Substitutes:
Eric Garcia: 6.5
The Spaniard was good in possession and made some important defensive contributions as well. Was the first to be brought on as a substitute following Christensen being subbed off at halftime.
Ferran Torres: 8.0
The forward brought on an extraordinary influence that riled up his teammates and pushed them to the finish line. His goal came merely minutes after being subbed on and the player continues his fine form for Barcelona to truly make a name for himself at the club.
Ansu Fati: 6.0
Missed two clear chances and does himself no favors by having such displays on for FC Barcelona. Support for a time being is understandable, but the 20-year-old truly needs to start pulling his weight if he wishes to succeed with the Catalan giants.
Fermin Lopez: N/A
Not enough time or effort to warrant a rating.
