Barcelona player ratings from Valencia defeat

Barcelona player ratings from Valencia defeat

Claudio Bravo (4): Didn’t cover himself in glory for either of Valencia’s two first half goals. The first goal crept in at his near post and he got his hand on the second, but was unable to keep it out. 

Sergi Roberto (5): Touch let him down when picked out in an advanced position by Mascherano, killing one promising Barça attack. Was also sucked into the middle for Valencia’s second goal, allowing Santi Mina too much space. The first goal came from his side, too, as he took Dani Alves’ place at right-back. Improved in the second half, but was unable to do anything with the ball in the final third. 

Gerard Pique (6): Could have done better for the second goal, handing Dani Parejo too much space to pick a pass. Also picked up his 10th booking of the season before the break and will be banned for the midweek trip to Deportivo La Coruna. However, he was much improved in the second half, driving forward and showing an eye for a pass. Was the bad guy at the end, though, missing a sitter to make it 2-2. 

Javier Mascherano (7): They call him Jefecito for a reason. Was full of drive, energy and leadership, although that alone was never going to be enough to get Barça back into the game once going 2-0 down. Covered almost every blade of grass in his own half in the second 45 minutes, regularly appearing to break up Valencia counter-attacks. 

Jordi Alba (5): Far too wasteful with the ball in the final third, despite picking up the assist for Messi’s goal. Regularly wasted good openings when he was picked out on the left - more often than not by Messi - much to the frustration of a large Camp Nou crowd. 

Sergio Busquets (5): An improvement on his recent performances, but still not at his best. Barça’s form often correlates with how well the Catalan midfielder is playing and he’s certainly been off colour during this four-game winless streak in La Liga.  

Ivan Rakitic (5): Was denied by a fine Diego Alves save in the second half, but fluffed his lines when various other chances came his way. 

Andres Iniesta (6): Started the game well, driving Barça forward with his elegant touch and graceful dribbling, but was unable to really grab the game by the scruff of the neck when it was necessary in the final 20 minutes. Has been one of his side’s better performers during their recent slump. 

Lionel Messi (7): Was at the heart of most things his side did. Scored his 500th goal from a move he started and produced some fine passes to Alba and Neymar on the left - unfortunately he couldn’t pass to himself. There was plenty of verve about his performance, but the job proved too big for one man on his own. 

Luis Suarez (5): Was caught offside far too much and was unable to convert the chances which came his way. Admittedly they weren’t high in quality, but an in-form Suarez would surely have done better. 

Neymar (4): Every time he got the ball he seemed to be surrounded by Valencia players and it clearly frustrated him. He was unable to do anything with the ball, dallying when chances fell his way and often seeing them blocked. As the game slipped away from Barça, he launched into a nasty tackle on Joao Cancelo, pretty much summing up his evening.