Barcelona have returned to the third position in the Primera Division points table with a crucial 3-0 victory against Elche at the Camp Nou Stadium. Lionel Messi was on the scoresheet twice before Jordi Alba netted Barcelona’s third goal of the night.
The two teams were locked in a stalemate at half-time, and an early goal in the second half killed the tie against Elche. Ronald Koeman would be relieved with the result after coming under immense scrutiny recently. Here’s how the Catalans were rated in their 3-0 victory against 19th placed Elche.
Barcelona Player Ratings Against Elche
GK: Marc Andre Ter Stegen – 7/10
The German goalie was barely put to the test by the visitors and added to his clean-sheet collection for the season.
RB: Oscar Mingueza – 7/10
Mingueza put in a satisfactory performance at the right-back spot after being given the green light for this fixture ahead of Sergino Dest.
CB: Gerard Pique – 7/10
The defender seems to be returning his best with more game time. Pique was substituted in the closing moments of the second half for Clement Lenglet.
CB: Samuel Umtiti – 7/10
The Frenchman was comfortable on and off the ball for the entirety of the match, and he barely seemed to put a foot wrong in defence. It will be interesting to see if Koeman opts for Lenglet over Umtiti for the upcoming Sevilla fixture.
LB: Jordi Alba – 8/10
An impressive performance from the full-back who was commanding at the back. Alba even joined in at the other end with Lionel Messi as the duo combined with Martin Braithwaite to score the Catalans’ third goal of the night.
CM: Frenkie de Jong – 8/10
Frenkie was a joy to watch across the ninety minutes and his selfless move in the second half led to Barcelona’s second goal of the night. The Dutchman whizzed past several Elche defenders before squaring it to Lionel Messi, who did not miss his mark.
CM: Miralem Pjanic – 6/10
It did not seem to be the ideal night for Pjanic, given the start ahead of Busquets. He made way for Dembele at the half time mark.
CM: Pedri – 8/10
The Spanish youngster had a lively evening at the Camp Nou Stadium. Pedri made things work for Barcelona in midfield as he linked up and paired with his Barcelona teammates.
RW: Fransisco Trincao – 7/10
The Portuguese attacker did not have the night he wanted, given the start ahead of Dembele. Trincao made way for Sergio Busquets in the second half.
ST: Lionel Messi 9/10
The Argentine had a sensational evening at his own den. Messi was involved in all three of Barcelona’s goals, scoring two and was involved in the build-up to one. Messi deservedly won the Man of the Match award at the end of the match.
LW: Martin Braithwaite – 8/10
The striker left his mark on the match with a neat one-two with Lionel Messi that was crucial in the hosts opening the scoring. Braithwaite made way for Antoine Griezmann in the second half.
Substitutes
RW: Ousmane Dembele – 7/10
The half time substitute came on to replace Miralem Pjanic and had a satisfactory evening. Dembele seemed more dedicated when compared to his previous two appearances.
CM: Sergio Busquets – 7/10
Busquets was a good substitution by Koeman as it helped Barcelona keep control of the proceedings.
ST: Antoine Griezmann – 7/10
LB: Sergino Dest – NA
CB: Clement Lenglet – NA
