Barcelona fought back from a goal down to edge a narrow 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad at Anoeta Stadium on Saturday.
Aritz Elustondo opened the scoring for the hosts as the Catalans struggled to get going with headcoach Ernesto Valverde resting some key players.
Following a couple of substitutions for the visitors though, they recovered in the second half with goals from Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.
Here, we rate the performances of the Barcelona players.
Starting XI
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen – Was beaten by a clean strike, but may have done better at the near post. Had to make himself big to deny Theo Hernandez and Juanmi in the second half. 6
Nelson Semedo – Weak when competing for the initial header before the ball fell for Elustondo to rifle in. Was hooked at half-time. 3
Samuel Umtiti – Was solid at the back and good with his distribution. Nudged the ball towards Suarez during a goalmouth melee for the Uruguayan to score. 7
Gerard Pique – Caught ball watching and left Elustondo unmarked for the opener. Won the header from a free-kick which led to Suarez’s goal,though. 5
Jordi Alba – Left his side of the defence repeatedly unmanned and that’s where Sociedad created their chances from on the break. 5
Rafinha Alcantara – Struggled to make an impact having been handed a rare start. Was taken off in the 56th minute. 4
Sergi Roberto – Still doesn’t seem to possess a commanding presence when played in midfield. Conceded the free-kick that led to Sociedad’s goal. Looked better at right-back. 5
Ivan Rakitic – Was the main man in midfield to start with and while he spread the ball around nicely, had little support. Had a header and a strike from distance go over the bar. 6
Ousmane Dembele – Was little hit-and-miss to begin with but grew into the game and was Barca’s chief threat, creating most of their openings. Scored with a drilled effort that took a couple of ricochets on its way in.
Lionel Messi – Far from a vintage Messi display. Had a couple of decent efforts late on, but was quiet otherwise. 5
Luis Suarez – Not at his best and spent much of the game battling to find a bit of space. Was on hand to blast in from close range. 6
SUBSTITUTES
Philippe Coutinho – Looked lively when he was introduced after the break. Produced a fine save from Geronimo Rulli in the 65th minute with a curling strike. 6
Sergio Busquets – Replaced Rafinha and brought direction to Barca’s play. No surprise that they turned it around after his arrival on the pitch. 6
Arturo Vidal – Came on for Dembele to shore things up in midfield in the closing stages. N/A
