It is impossible to win all the time and that is what possibly happened to Barça as they lost the Spanish Super Cup title to Bilbao but how did the players fare?
Barcelona’s 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao in the 2nd leg of the Spanish Super Cup meant their hopes of winning the Sextuplet in 2015 have been ruined as they lost 5-1 on aggregate.
However, FlyBarca rates the Barcelona players in a performance that doesn’t seem too be as woeful as that of the first leg.
Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao – Player Ratings
Claudio Bravo – 7.0
His first game since the Copa America but performed well. Couldn’t keep the much-needed clean sheet as he could do little to stop Aduriz from scoring.
Dani Alves – 6.5
Was a constant threat for the Athletic backline and linked up well with the forwards in attack. However, he didn’t do much to produce a difference and help Barça get goals but wasn’t bad overall.
Gerard Pique – 6.5
Would have received a higher score had it not been for his silly red card that cost Barça the game. He was one of the best players on the pitch appearing everywhere and was leading the defense. Hit the bar early on and was impressive in the air.
Javier Mascherano – 6.0
Was solid at the back and kept out Aduriz well. His amazing run led to Barça’s goal. Not his best performance but not his worst either.
Jeremy Mathieu – 5.5
Clearly showed he’s far better at Central Defence than at left-back. Was an attacking threat down the left but dragged back often to help the defence during set-pieces. Wasn’t impressive enough.
Ivan Rakitic – 6.5
Worked hard throughout his stay on the pitch but wasn’t sharp on the ball as usual as he looked fatigued. His fantastic cross for Suarez led to the goal. Missed a promising chance to make it 2-0 for Barça and was replaced by Sandro Ramirez.
Sergio Busquets – 7.0
Busquets bossed the midfield as usual and controlled the game when Athletic were pressuring high. Unfortunately, he didn’t influence the score with his brilliance.
Andres Iniesta – 6.0
The captain was determined to get the required result. Created a lot of chances early on and also had chances to score in the first half. His only fault was his willingness to pass when a shot would have been better.
Lionel Messi – 7.0
Didn’t have his best game but scored Barça’s only goal on 43 minutes. The was marked tightly by multiple defenders and often drags back just to get the ball.
Luis Suarez – 6.5
A workaholic and was keen to get on the score sheet but was unable to breakthrough a strong Athletic defence. Gave the assist for Messi’s goal with a delightful chest down.
Pedro Rodriguez – 6.5
Was one of Barça’s best players in the opening minutes and could have opened the scoring on 29 minutes. Lost focus as the game progressed and was replaced by Munir in what may be his last game at the Camp Nou.
SUBSTITUTES…
Sandro Ramirez – 5.0
Replace Rakitic in the second half and wasn’t involved too many times.
Munir El Haddadi – 5.0
Came on for Pedro but didn’t do much.
