UEFA Champions League: FC Barcelona 6-1 AS Roma: Player Ratings

A detailed, player-by-player breakdown of Barcelona's thumping of Roma in the Champions League.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen

8.2

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 30 Passes: 20 Pass Accuracy: 90% Shots Faced: 4 Saves Made: 3 Interceptions: 1 Bostjan says: 8.0 You could forgive ter Stegen for falling asleep in the first half, but he maintained his concentration to stop a tough angle shot late. Had more to do in the second half as he first saved an excellent shot from Iago Falque and late in the game denied Edin Džeko from the spot. The young German was unable to celebrate a clean sheet as the Bosnian headed home in the dying moments of the game.

Dani Alves

7.9

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 83 Passes: 78 Pass Accuracy: 96% Key Passes: 2 Turnovers: 0 Tackles: 2 Shots/Shots on Target: 0/0 Clearances: 0 Aerial Duels Won: 1 Interceptions: 1 Bostjan says: 8.0 Much better from Alves who always seems to play better when Messi is on the right side. Pretty much the entire game Alves played as a fourth forward, providing a good outlet for his teammates from where the Brazilian could set up his teammates. Picked up an assist on the opening goal of the game with an unselfish ball to Suarez. He also set up Messi early in the second half, but didn’t pick up an assist as the Argentine was unable to finish the chance.

Gerard Pique

8.2

Minutes played: 56 Touches: 81 Passes: 75 Pass Accuracy: 93% Tackles: 2 Interceptions: 0 Clearances: 1 Aerial Duels Won: 2 Shots/Shots on Target: 1/1 Bostjan says: 8.0 Pique was largely unseen against Roma until he scored the team’s fourth goal of the match in the 55th minute. Pique showed a desire to score against Real Madrid, and that desire continued in this one – and Pique was rewarded for it by tapping the ball into the empty net. Otherwise he dealt well with the rare Roma attack, even though there is still room for improvement in the Barcelona defense. Pique was subbed off immediately after scoring the goal.

Thomas Vermaelen

6.9

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 84 Passes: 51 Pass Accuracy: 95% Tackles: 2 Interceptions: 1 Clearances: 3 Aerial Duels Won: 2 Fouls: 1 Bostjan says: 6.0 Not Vermaelen’s best game in a Barcelona shirt as he struggled to deal with the threat that is Džeko. First, he brought down the Bosnian for a penalty kick and then he was easily outmuscled by the same player for Roma’s only goal of the game. Vermaelen was also late setting the offside trap early in the game from which Roma almost took the lead. The Belgian did make a few good defensive plays, but the negatives were hard to miss.

Jordi Alba

7.7

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 94 Passes: 88 Pass Accuracy: 88% Shots/Shots on Target: 0/0 Tackles: 1 Interceptions: 0 Clearances: 1 Key Passes: 0 Turnovers: 1 Bostjan says: 7.0 Unlike Alves on the other side, Alba had a quieter evening. Though still providing width and options in attack, he wasn’t as decisive and didn’t have as much impact on the game as Alves did. Defensively he wasn’t tested much either, meaning Alba had a very quiet game indeed.

Sergio Busquets

8.0

Minutes played: 45 Touches: 74 Passes: 69 Pass Accuracy: 94% Shots/Shots on Target: 0/0 Tackles: 1 Interceptions: 2 Clearances: 1 Turnovers: 0 Aerial Duels Won: 1 Key Passes: 2 Fouls Won: 2 Sam says: 7.5 Roma rarely offered much in an attacking sense which meant it was a relatively easy night for Busquets. It allowed him to push higher up the field and become a third playmaker in midfield. He performed this duty well until he was substituted at half time.

Ivan Rakitić

7.8

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 80 Passes: 72 Pass Accuracy: 86% Shots/Shots on Target: 1/0 Turnovers: 1 Key Passes: 0 Fouls Won: 2 Tackles: 2 Sam says: 7.0 Better from Rakitić in which his primary job was to get the ball to one of the front three as quickly as possible. He found Neymar who in turn created many chances and he helped run the midfield alongside Roberto. His passing success was slightly lower than usual but can be explained by his attempts at higher risk passes.

Sergi Roberto

7.9

Minutes played: 63 Touches: 44 Passes: 41 Pass Accuracy: 93% Shots/Shots on Target: 0/0 Fouls Won: 1 Turnovers: 2 Successful Dribbles: 0 Key Passes: 1 Clearances: 1 Sam says: 7.0 After putting in a star performance at the Bernabéu, Roberto had a slight easier role in this one. Keep possession and look to find one of the front three whenever possible. He maintained one of the best pass success rates of any player on the field and was playing well up until his substitution in the 63rd minute.

Lionel Messi

9.3

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 85 Passes: 67 Pass Accuracy: 82% Shots/Shots on Target: 8/6 Turnovers: 4 Successful Dribbles: 2 Key Passes: 1 Fouls Won: 2 Interceptions: 0 Sonia says: 9.0 Having Messi back was certainly a highlight of the match. His dribbling is back, which is always nice to see. Messi scored a magical first goal with a dazzling chip, and scored the fifth goal of the match in the second half to get a brace.  Messi pretty much did Messi things all match, and had a mesmerizing performance overall.

Luis Suarez

9.1

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 40 Passes: 26 Pass Accuracy: 73% Shots/Shots on Target: 3/2 Fouls Won: 0 Successful Dribbles: 0 Key Passes: 3 Turnovers: 1 Tackles: 2 Sonia says: 9.0 Suarez was on fire throughout the match, especially the first half, and put in an amazing performance. He scored a brace of two great goals along with an awesome assist. He played a huge part in everything and contributed to many of the goals. Overall, Suarez’s performance was great and worthy of mention.

Neymar

8.8

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 94 Passes: 72 Pass Accuracy: 89% Shots/Shots on Target: 4/2 Successful Dribbles: 3 Key Passes: 3 Fouls Won: 2 Turnovers: 6 Tackles: 1 Sonia says: 8.5 Neymar was constantly involved and constantly creating chances throughout the match. He was involved in every goal and had a really good game, although he unfortunately did not end up scoring and missed his penalty. His finishing was slightly off point, however, that should stop no one from acknowledging his nonetheless fantastic performance.

Sergi Samper

7.4

Minutes played: 45 Touches: 34 Passes: 31 Pass Accuracy: 97% Key Passes: 1 Kevin says: 7.0 Introduced at the break in place of the man whose style his play most resembles. The game was over as a contest at this point but let's not be disrespectful of Roma who are a damn sight better than the opposition Samper has been facing for most of the season. Sergi played with a mixture of the class he clearly has in spades and the eagerness of someone who should probably have had more game time at this point of the season and wanted to make every minute count.

Marc Bartra

7.2

Minutes played: 32 Touches: 39 Passes: 28 Pass Accuracy: 100% Tackles: 2 Kevin says: 6.5 Piqué was substituted within seconds of scoring and replaced by Bartra who has been the subject of transfer rumours over the past few days, likely fueled by being dropped from the squad for El Clasico after an impressive showing with the national team. Like his counterpart Vermaelen, he didn't have an awful lot to do but performed his duties well and will hope for a starting berth against Sociedad at the weekend.

Adriano Correia

7.4

Minutes played: 27 Touches: 31 Passes: 25 Pass Accuracy: 88% Key Passes: 2 Bostjan says: 7.0 Interestingly enough, Adriano was brought on in midfield at the expense of Roberto who thankfully just got a knock and is not a long term injury worry. Roma had all but quit at this point and their retreat gave the Brazilian the space to look like an elite creative midfielder, which I don't think any of us would put too much belief into. Biggest contribution was rifling home a rebound from Neymar's missed spot kick. Make no mistake this was no tap in, he was under intense pressure from the Roma defender but kept his composure, stayed over the ball without swinging wildly and took his chance with aplomb.

The Team

9.3

Passes: 797 Pass Accuracy: 91% Shots/Shots on Target: 19/12 Tackles: 18 Aerial Battles Won: 48% Fouls Won/Committed: 12/13 Sonia says: 9.5 The team overall had an amazing performance and absolutely destroyed Roma. Barca were terrifying and merciless, as evident from the 6-1 scoreline. In the first half especially, MSN were on fire with goals. With Messi back, the team as a whole was even better; his presence improves everyone else. No one will want Lucho to leave after Samper got an entire half. The team overall had a terrific match, doubly so with the terrific scoreline.

Luis Enrique

8.9

Kevin says: 8.0 What luxury to be able to release El Tridente again. They looked terrifying almost immediately and were backed by three midfielders only too happy to play them in for chances. At the back, the boss gave much needed minutes to Thomas Vermaelen who gave a steady performance before being eventually overpowered by Dzeko for the consolation goal. Lucho gets a lot of points from me for finally giving Samper some real game time. No serious injury worries, solid at the back for the majority and truly frightening in attack. Who says the plan is to hang in there til January?

MOTM - Lionel Messi	50%
Bostjan says: Suarez What better way to mark your return to the starting lineup after two months but to win the Man of the Match award. Messi did just that by winning exactly half of the votes. There was a close race for second, with Suarez (24%) edging Neymar (20%).

from Barca Blaugranes - All Posts http://ift.tt/1T53J90

Categories: Barca Blaugranes - All Posts