opinions | 2018-08-19
Player Ratings - Spanish Super Cup - Barcelona 2:1 Sevilla
Dembélé saves the day with an absolute screamer to give Messi his 33rd trophy at the club
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (8): For the most part didn’t have much to do. On the goal, there wasn’t anything he could’ve done. After this the game went quiet for him until we scored, he made a crucial save from kick off. Other than this, he was unchallenged for large parts of the game but at the end he conceded a penalty but made up for it by saving what was quite a woeful penalty. For the little he had to do, he did great. Good to have him carrying on from where he left of last season.
Nélson Semedo (6.5): Solid defensively, though sometimes inconsistent. Sevilla players didn’t manage to get past him too often. Going forward, he got into good positions but his end product still isn’t the best, passing should be much better.
Gerard Piqué (7.5): Good showing in his first game back. Passing was great and he was solid defensively, didn’t make mistakes. Scored the equaliser after Messi’s FK hit the post. Managed a couple of important interceptions and was good in the air.
Clement Lenglet (6.5): Had some shaky moments early on but it was expected as he’s still adapting. He almost scored from a set piece but put his chance over the bar. On a counter he took down the Sevilla player, on a normal day would’ve got booked for his tactical foul but was let off. As the game went on he started to become more assured and played his normal game. It was a good competitive debut, let’s hope we see more of what he showed at Sevilla last season.
Jordi Alba (6.5): Went about his game as he always does. Bombing up and down the left and linking with Messi and Dembélé. However, he left a lot of space that has been exploited. Lenglet has been left with too much defending to do when he’s up the pitch. He got better with the defensive side of his game as the game went on, stopping counters better and getting back into position. He’s still rusty but will improve with game time.
Sergio Busquets (6.5): Looked sharp for the most part but he gave the ball away in dangerous areas a few times, and Sevilla managed to punish it once. It’s something we don’t see often from him but it was his first game back and it’s clear he isn’t at his best yet. Other than a couple of mistakes, he had a good game. Did well on the ball under pressure and also defensively.
Arthur (6.5): Hasn’t been as good as his preseason self but he played rather well for his first competitive game for the club. His passing has been good but he’s was not been able to dictate the game as he would like to. You could see that he was not adapted to European football but the signs were positive, he held his own and will only get better. Subbed off for Coutinho.
Rafinha (6): Started in midfield but couldn’t really impact the game too much when he was on the pitch. Passing was good but most were safe passes that didn’t ask too much of Sevilla. Subbed off for Rakitić at HT.
Lionel Messi (8.5): Great showing in his first game back. Created a lot for his teammates from the start, his passing was superb but Barça didn’t take advantage of it. Combined well with his teammates, especially Dembélé. Involved in both goals and managed 7 key passes. Had a few chances to score but Sevilla’s GK did well.
Luis Suárez (4): Terrible performance, maybe one of the worst we’ve seen from him in a Barça shirt. His passing was just awful, ruined a few great moves by misplacing a simple pass. Poor on the ball, it looked like he made wrong decisions every single time. Managed one shot on target, didn’t really find himself in chances to score. Let’s hope this is just rustiness in his first game back and he’ll up his games soon.
Ousmane Dembélé (9): Started quietly but as the first half went on, he became a lot more dangerous and whenever he got the ball caused trouble. In the second half, he only got better. His influence on the game increased, he was linking up with Suárez a lot and getting players into dangerous positions. Sevilla couldn’t keep up with him and resorted to fouling him. He was rewarded for his great performance with a wonder strike which handed us the Supercopa. He looks ready for the coming season and can only get better.
Ivan Rakitić (6): Replaced Rafinha at HT but this substitution didn’t change much. He did well defensively but didn’t create much on the ball, same as Rafinha in the first half. At times you couldn’t even tell if he was on the pitch or not. Didn’t make too many mistakes but he didn’t take risks either.
Philippe Coutinho (6): Replaced Arthur around the 55th minute. He didn’t add anything it must be said and was a bit wasteful. As I said before, he plays better as a winger than central midfielder. It was the same case as against Sevilla. He will improve but the Supercopa wasn’t one of his better games.
Arturo Vidal: Came on for his Barcelona debut with 5 minutes left. There isn’t much to say really. We’ll see in the coming games on what he can offer.
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