Barcelona player ratings as fringe men fail to impress in 2-2 draw with Eibar

Aditya Devavrat 20:39 19/05/2019
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  • Lionel Messi ensured Barcelona's season didn't end in defeat.

    Barcelona ended their season with a 2-2 draw against Eibar in a match they could have easily lost, as the Basque side harried Ernesto Valverde’s team throughout.

    It fell to Lionel Messi, who else, to rescue his team, as he cancelled out Eibar’s opener – scored by Marc Cucurella, on loan from Barcelona – and then gave his team the lead in a spell that saw him score twice in two minutes, only for Pablo de Blasis to equalise with a long-range stunner.

    Here’s a look at how the Barca players rated.

    STARTING XI

    Jasper Cillessen 4 – Made one outstanding save, but not enough to make up for his two errors. A weak attempted save saw Cucurella’s shot go in off his wrist, then his poor clearance allowed Pablo de Blasis to score wonderfully from distance.

    Nelson Semedo 6 – Compromised his game with an poor challenge that earned him a yellow card, likely why he was taken off at half-time. But was solid in defence, otherwise.

    Gerard Pique 7 – Pique was playing like a full-back at times, in intent if not actual position. His effort to get involved in attack was impressive, and he was Barcelona’s best man in defence as well.

    Clement Lenglet 5 – A sloppy display from Lenglet, who struggled to handle Eibar’s press. Redeemed his display with a few excellent tackles.

    Jordi Alba 6 – Eibar targeted his flank at times as they knew Alba would be upfield in attack – and he didn’t have an effective display on that side of the pitch, either.

    Arturo Vidal 7 – A superb slide-rule pass to set up Messi’s first goal, along with his usual busy display in midfield, brought to an end an excellent – if it at times frustrating – first season at Barcelona for Vidal.

    Sergio Busquets 6 – A display that summed up the player Busquets is at the moment. When given time on the ball, he remains one of the best conductors in world football. However, he struggled at times under the Eibar press.

    Ivan Rakitic 7 – Rakitic’s work rate was astonishing. If this was his final game in a Barcelona shirt, it was a fitting way to sign off: the Croat covered every blade of grass, set up Messi for his second, and could even be seen winning crucial headers in his box.

    Sergi Roberto 6 – Thrust into an unfamiliar role on the right of Barcelona’s attack

    Lionel Messi 9 – Nearly ended the season with a hat-trick, blazing over in the second half when presented with the chance to score the winner. What had come before was typical Messi: two excellent runs; one ended with a simple finish and the other with a sublime dink over the keeper.

    Malcom 5 – Squandered one excellent opportunity, caught in two minds as he was through on goal only to produce neither an accurate shot nor a simple square pass to Pique. Malcom’s display summed up in one moment.

    SUBSTITUTES

    Moussa Wague 7 – An encouraging performance from Wague, who got into attack as often as would be expected of a Barcelona full-back but also produced crucial interventions in defence.

    Carles Alena 6 – Composed passing in the middle of the park after coming on for Busquets. Nothing spectacular, but enough to make people wonder what he would do with a proper run in the side.

    Carles Perez 6 – Came on late in the game for Malcom to make his Barcelona debut and was instantly involved in an attack, a good sign, as he played a few neat passes alongside Messi and Roberto.

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