Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Barcelona—Player Ratings

July 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Barcelona defender Gerard Pique (3) controls the ball against Los Angeles Galaxy during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
July 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Barcelona defender Gerard Pique (3) controls the ball against Los Angeles Galaxy during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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In the first leg of this Copa Del Rey, Barcelona couldn’t overcome an early deficit as Athletic Bilbao staved them off, even with nine men in the latter stages.

Nobody was close to their best for Barcelona, but we took a shot at grading them out of 10 anyway.

Goalkeeper

GK. Barcelona. MARC ANDRE TER STEGEN. 6. Though he allowed two goals, one was a free header and the other a thunderbolt. There were small things he could have done to maybe keep them out, but in the end nothing was entirely his fault. After the goals, he had nothing to do.

Defenders

6.5. Because of Bilbao’s frantic pressing early on, Roberto was restricted to defensive duties, which he performed in a relatively average way—he can’t be faulted for either goal, that’s for sure. Late on as Barcelona attacked more, he was heavily involved, and was solid on the ball, but could never create anything worthy of the late equalizer they needed.. RB. Barcelona. SERGI ROBERTO

Pique was his usual composed self at the back, even amid the hectic nature of the early stages of the game. However, he didn’t do well enough to cover on some of Bilbao’s counters, and though he isn’t responsible for either goal, there were scary moments early on. Like Roberto, he got heavily involved in the attack late, and his knockdown in the waning seconds nearly earned Barcelona their second.. CB. Barcelona. GERARD PIQUE. 6.5

CB. Barcelona. SAMUEL UMTITI. 5.5. In fairness to Umtiti, Aritz Aduriz should have been sent off, but the French defender still opted to retaliate, which wasn’t in his or Barca’s best interest. Otherwise, he made a few good tackles, but looked rather nervy, especially on the ball with Bilbao’s forwards flying at him. He’s had better days.

Did well as always getting forward, but can be held somewhat accountable for failing to track Aritz Aduriz on Bilbao’s opener. Though the diminutive fullback may not have been able to beat Aduriz to the ball even if he had tracked him, less blame would be shouldered if he had at least been there to contest the ball. After the two goals, he played as a left winger as Barca pushed on, but couldn’t deliver anything important.. LB. Barcelona. JORDI ALBA. 5.5

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Midfielders

5. This was perhaps one of the poorest performances Busquets has put in of late. When Barcelona needed their metronome to settle possession down as Bilbao pressed, he was sloppy and poor with the ball, and the visitors paid the price for it. His sweeping pass looking for Neymar that flew out of bounds late in the match summed it up.. CDM. Barcelona. SERGIO BUSQUETS

5.5. Rakitic did his usual business, lung-busting runs and important defensive work included, but nothing really paid off. Per usual, he was subbed off after a little over an hour, and for good reason. He never looked like he was going to contribute too much going forward, but he can’t be discredited for his work rate.. CM. Barcelona. IVAN RAKITIC

5.5. Iniesta is someone Barcelona looks to in matches like these to provide a spark from the midfield, driving the ball forward and finding one of their mercurial forwards. Unfortunately that didn’t happen for them today, as Iniesta wasn’t near his best. He still delivered some solid passes and contributed to build-up that could have resulted in goals, but never made a huge impact.. CM. Barcelona. ANDRES INIESTA

Forwards

7. Marginalized for much of the game, you knew all along he’d have to make his mark at some point. Shortly into the second half, he did just that with a good free kick from a tough angle that got Barcelona a big away goal. After the goal, he got more into the game, but never got that equalizer. Precise dribbling in the area looked like it would result in a goal, but his shot was blocked, and his final attempt hit the post as time ran out. Disappointing, but probably Barcelona’s best on the pitch.. RW. Barcelona. LIONEL MESSI

4. Perhaps Suarez’s worst game to date in a Barcelona jersey. None of his touches came off, he was caught offsides numerous times, and he never truly gave Messi or Neymar an option in dangerous areas. He suffered a drought early this season, but overcame it. This performance mirrored those of the earlier stages.. ST. Barcelona. LUIS SUAREZ

7. Neymar was one of the more lively Barcelona forwards early on, and should have earned a penalty at the end of the first half, but the referee disagreed. A near stunner in the second half could have leveled it at 2-2, but Neymar never truly had the cutting edge to give his side a chance in this one. Still, one of the best for Luis Enrique’s side.. LW. Barcelona. NEYMAR

Substitutes

5. Gomes came on for Rakitic and did a similar job, but as red cards piled up for Bilbao, more was asked of him going forward, where he failed to truly impress.. CM. Barcelona. ANDRE GOMES

0. Normally I’d go with N/A for a player on the pitch for just a few minutes. However, he offered very little as an extra striker, and missed a chance off Messi’s rebound as time ran out.. ST. Barcelona. PACO ALCACER

Next: Guardiola Thinks Pique Could be Barca’s President

Manager

6. Enrique can’t really be faulted in some respects, as he put his best lineup out there. However, whether it was rust or holiday weight, his team was sluggish, and he had no answer for Bilbao’s press early in the match, which proved to be the difference.. Manager. Barcelona. LUIS ENRIQUE