Barcelona have toiled hard for the three points against Huesca on Matchday 17 of La Liga Santander away from home at the Estadio El Alcoraz. The Catalans are now placed 5th in the points table just a point off 4th placed Villarreal.
Ronald Koeman’s side failed to convert the chances that they created and were put under immense pressure as the game progressed against Huseca. Frenkie de Jong made a well-timed run into the box and found himself in the perfect position to tuck the ball away past Fernandez.
Dembele’s performance was worth mentioning as he showed great speed and dribbling skills down the left-hand side. Ronald Koeman’s tactics and substitutions on the night once again raised eyebrows. Here’s how the Catalans fared in their 1-0 victory away from home –
GK : Marc Andre Ter Stegen – 8/10
The German shot-stopper had a comfortable night and responded with confidence each time he was drawn into the action.
RB : Sergino Dest – 7/10
The full-back was comfortable down the right-hand side and made life difficult for the Huesca attackers.
CB : Ronald Araujo – 7/10
Araujo has made the centre back position his own in the absence of Pique and the defender was a joy to watch on the evening.
CB : Clement Lenglet – 7/10
Lenglet paired up well with Araujo in defence as he kept the Huesca attack in check. Lenglet showed great awareness on a couple of occasions in the second half which helped Barcelona hold onto the clean-sheet.
LB : Jordi Alba – 7/10
Alba was tireless down the left-hand side and was seen patrolling up and down the pitch until the dying minutes of the game. Alba very nearly doubled Barcelona’s lead with a fine through ball to Lionel Messi who was unable to put it past the Huesca goalie.
CM : Frenkie de Jong – 8/10
The Dutchman scored the all-important goal for Barcelona in the first half which helped seal the three points. De Jong was also a lively presence in midfield. The former Ajax man’s work rate also deserves a notable mention as he recovered the ball high up the pitch on plenty of occasions.
CM : Sergio Busquets – 7/10
A lot more was expected off Busquets on the night. The veteran midfielder seemed a bit slow to the pace of the game and made way for Miralem Pjanic in the 75th minute of the game.
CM : Pedri – 7/10
A slightly sloppy display from Pedri who was dispossessed on a couple of occasions. The teenager seemed to be lacking the sharpness and alertness he usually displays while on the field of play. Pedri missed two chances to score himself.
RW : Lionel Messi – 8/10
A sharp performance from Messi who would put past at least two goals against Alex Fernandez on any other day. The Argentine also nearly scored from a set piece situation in the first half.
ST : Martin Braithwaite – 7/10
The striker seemed lone and isolated upfront and did not have much of the ball until the 81st minute. It was surprising to witness Koeman leave Martin on the pitch for so long. Griezmann replaced the striker in the dying moments of the game.
LW : Ousmane Dembele – 8/10
The Frenchman did justice to his inclusion in the line-up by Koeman and made life difficult for the Huesca defence. Dembele’s control seemed to let him down on a couple of occasions.
Substitutes
LB : Oscar Mingueza – 6/10
A satisfactory performance from Oscar post his introduction in the second half.
CM : Miralem Pjanic – 6/10
The former Juventus midfielder got a good 15-minute run to pitch for a position in the starting eleven on a regular basis
ST : Antoine Griezmann – 5/10
Griezmann did not have much involvement post coming on.
