Player ratings: Barcelona star’s future plunged into doubt after 8/10 display vs. Valencia

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Barcelona bounce back from two down to secure a vital 2-2 draw against Valencia at the Camp Nou. 

Despite Barca’s early dominance, Valencia took the lead against the run of play, Kevin Gameiro dispatching an clinical finish past Marc-Andre ter Stegen after getting on the end of well timed Rodrigo pass.

It was then a tale of two penalties; first Daniel Parejo doubling his side’s lead with a fine spot-kick, before Lionel Messi calmly tucked away from 12 yards to make it 2-1 at half-time.

And it was the diminutive marvel once again who came to Barca’s rescue, scoring a scintillating curling effort to make it 2-2 in the 64th minute, and that was how it ended in a quite extraordinary match.

With that in mind and after a pulsating encounter in Catalonia, how did the players rate?

Barcelona

Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6 – A solid performance from the German despite conceding two; the modern gloveman was swift off his line and composed when faced with Rodrigo running at him.

Nelson Semedo – 6 – A willing attacker, Semedo is the archetypal modern full-back, surging forward at sheer will and operating more in the final third than in his own half – the better off both full-backs in the first-half and unfortunate to come off at the interval.

Gerard Pique – 5 – A decent performance from Pique, his side attacked for the majority of the match so his involvement was minimal at times, but played out from the back in typical style, though he failed to make a single successful tackle. 

Thomas Vermaelen – 5 – The Belgian looked uncomfortable when Valencia broke with pace, and was caught napping on occasion when that happened. His positioning was poor for the first goal, and he allowed Rodrigo to glide past him in the second half, only for Ter Stegen to spare his blushes.

Sergi Roberto – 5 – Played as an auxiliary left-back and looked jittery at times, conceding the penalty and struggling to contain Wass in the opening exchanges. Changed to right-back after the restart and looked more at home. 

Carlos Alena – 6 – Some neat touches from the academy product, Alena the more creative outlet of the midfield tripartite, demonstrating his passing range and fluid movement – especially in the second-half.  

Ivan Rakitic – 7 – Deployed as the Busquets pivot, the Croat was Barca’s metronome, receiving the ball in tight areas and spraying passes at sheer will. It’s an unfamiliar role but he stood up to the task well, making more accurate passes than any player on the pitch (89).

Arturo Vidal – 6 – A mixed match for the Chilean, he had the difficult task of trying to unlock the Valencia midfield and find gaps in the defence. This is not an easy task, and while he has been sensational recently, this was not one of his better performances.

Lionel Messi – 8 – Breathtaking. Every positive synonym in the English dictionary has been used to describe this guy, and with good reason. The South American magician was the fulcrum of everything good about Barca tonight, and he saved them once again.  

Luis Suarez – 7 – Suarez was nimble and light in possession, linking up with his attacking teammates very well. His movement caused Garay and Gabriel Paulista significant and on another day he would have found the back of the net.   

Philippe Coutinho – 5 – Like Vidal, Coutinho experienced a mixed match. The playmaker was majestic at times, but looked error prone at others, squandering a. number of opportunities. 

Substitutes:

Jordi Alba (for Semedo 45) – 7 – Far more effective than Roberto at left-back, should have started, but rested with justifiable caution.

Arthur Melo (for Alena 66) – 5 – Came on to transform Barca’s fortunes, but fared no better than Alena.

Malcom (for Coutinho 83) – N/A – Not enough time to make a considerable impact.

Valencia

Neto – 7 – An exceptional performance from the Brazilian, channeling his inner Diego Alves and pulling off a string of fine saves against some of the finest finishers in the business – unlucky for both goals.   

Matteo Piccinini – 6 – The Italian has proven an astute signing this season and once again he showcased his worth, making some forceful challenges and purposeful runs down the right.  

Ezequiel Garay – 7 – Formed an effective partnership with Gabriel Paulista, stifling the Barca attack for large spells of the match and holding firm in a well-oiled defence.     

Gabriel Paulista – 7 – Made some exceptional challenges and put his body on the line for his teammates; the Brazilian made more successful tackles than any of his teammates and put in a ruthless performance.   

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Toni Lato – 5- The pint-sized left-back had an eventful match, tasked with handling Coutinho, he stood up to the challenge well for most of the match, but was caught on a few occasions and conceded a stupid penalty.

Daniel Wass – 7 – Much like Cheryshev, Wass was a useful outlet on the right, countering with speed and intelligence. His final delivery was on point this evening and he won Valencia’s penalty.    

Francis Coquelin – 6 – A robust performance from the anchorman, Coquelin was strong in the tackle and brought an aggressive streak to Los Che, but often cumbersome in possession, making just. 24 accurate passes.  

Daniel Parejo – 8 – A skipper’s performance, Parejo was the difference on the night for Los Che, dictating the tempo of the match, smashing into challenges, and distributing with acute vision – sensational stuff.

Denis Cheryshev – 6 – A useful outlet on the wing, Cheryshev had glimmers of brilliance and showed his nimble footwork, but didn’t have the same finishing product as his counterpart on the other wing.    

Rodrigo – 7 – Valencia’s release valve, the vice-captain was devastating on the counter, energetic when closing down, and clinical with his final ball. The 27-year-old caused Barca’s defence problems all evening and assisted Gameiro masterfully.    

Kevin Gameiro – 6 – The Frenchman started the game lively, forming a strong partnership with Rodrigo and taking his goal exceptionally well before a head injury forced him off before half-time.

Substitutes:

Ferran Torres (for Gameiro 40) – 5 – Had a decent game but wasn’t on the wavelength that Gemeiro and Rodrigo shared with each other.

Geoffrey Kondogbia (for Coquelin 72) – 5 – Sured things up in the middle and brought more creativity than Coquelin. 

Santi Mina (for Rodrigo 79) – 5 – Looked lively in the final third, but not as deadly as Rodrigo.

The post Barcelona 2-2 Valencia: Every player rated from a thrilling draw at Camp Nou appeared first on Squawka News.



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