Manchester City 3-1 Barcelona: Player Ratings

5. He did fine to quell a few City attacks early, and kept out one sizzling Gundogan strike from distance, but in the end, he contributed to Barcelona’s undoing. There wasn’t much he could do on the first goal, but he was wrong-footed on De Bruyne’s free kick and did little to keep out Navas’ cross on the third when that was the obvious play to make. Needs to be better.. GK. Barcelona. MARC ANDRE TER STEGEN

4. Torrid day at the back for the player who has been shining so bright in a new position. He never linked up with Messi on the right side like usual, and he had the giveaway that led to City’s first. If he’s going to amend mistakes like that, he needs to contribute more going forward, which he obviously did not today.. RB. Barcelona. SERGI ROBERTO

6.5. For once, Mascherano looked the more composed center back thanks to the absence of Gerard Pique. The Argentine didn’t do anything all-too impressive, but did his job. However, Manchester City’s pace on counter attacks proved too much for Mascherano’s aging legs, and that surely hurt Barcelona.. CB. Barcelona. JAVIER MASCHERANO

Umtiti is a bright young prospect, but he had a rough day on a big stage. Again, perhaps it would have been better with the calming presence of Pique next to him, but regardless, he was lucky to get away with a pretty clear foul on Raheem Sterling early, and had some poor passes and clearances throughout.. CB. Barcelona. SAMUEL UMTITI. 5

5.5. Digne was the better fullback in terms of getting forward, but that often contributed to his getting caught out on City’s dangerous counter-attacks. His link-up play was ok, but he didn’t do enough to impress or change the game, and ultimately failed his team in defense.. LB. Barcelona. LUCAS DIGNE

6. Busquets has a habit of doing his job quietly and effectively, and did so again against Manchester City, but because of the many failings of Barça, Busquets’ were exposed as well. He had some sloppy touches, and some sluggish moments (City’s first goal, although Roberto’s pass was poor). The metronome at the center of the park has had better days, like many teammates.. CDM. Barcelona. SERGIO BUSQUETS

5.5. Rakitic often does the brawny work while Andres Iniesta turns the tricks and creates from central midfield, but without the Spaniard, he looks slightly lost in a more creative role. With Andre Gomes rather unimpressive, Rakitic could not get anything going, and was ultimately removed for an even less effective Arda Turan.. CM. Barcelona. IVAN RAKITIC

4.5. Gomes had some decent moments and did grow into the game, but was so sloppy at critical junctures. There were more than four moments in the match where Luis Suarez was visibly upset with the midfielder, as he would often misplace a pass or let a touch get away from him. To top it all off, he hit the crossbar with what would have been a simple equalizer, and City marched down and scored shortly thereafter. The assist would have gone to (drumroll please) an infuriated Suarez.. CM. Barcelona. ANDRE GOMES

RW. Barcelona. LIONEL MESSI. 7.5. Messi was one of few Barcelona players who turned in a good shift, as his goal gave them the lead that they looked like they weren’t about to relinquish. However, as the game wore on, Barcelona’s attack was phased out, and Messi was left isolated and frustrated, constantly dropping deep to no avail. This one is not on him, though.

5.5. Suarez’s constant movement was overlooked as he always made runs to open up space for his teammates (like on Messi’s goal). However, other than that, he was hardly involved, especially after the break. He teed up Gomes for the equalizer only to watch it clank off the bar, and Suarez’s frustration only grew as the game went on.. ST. Barcelona. LUIS SUAREZ

Barcelona. NEYMAR . 7. Neymar set up Messi’s goal, and was often Barcelona’s best attacking outlet in the second half (which isn’t saying too much, but still). He even tracked back a few times when Digne was caught out, which is good on him but not what Barcelona needs from one of their best attackers. Like Messi, Neymar won’t have to hang his head.. LW

CM. Barcelona. ARDA TURAN (RAKITIC, 61'). 4. Yuck. Arda is clearly rusty and not fully fit, and his introduction was a bizarre one. His touch lacked any flair or incisiveness, and he looked slow every time he was near the ball. He should not have been on the field, and though Rakitic was not at his best, Turan was an immediate downgrade.

Rafinha came on to try and spark something, but it was ultimately too late and City were still dictating the game. Perhaps he should have been brought on for Rakitic, not Turan.. RM. Barcelona. RAFINHA . N/A

5. You can’t harp on a man too hard when he’s missing Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Andres Iniesta, but some of Enrique’s decisions were just plainly incorrect. A rusty Turan? Rafinha for the last 15 when already down two goals? He had a healthy Denis Suarez on the bench, and he may have been a better option than either. Enrique’s job now is to make sure Barcelona win their last two in Group C.. Manager. Barcelona. LUIS ENRIQUE