CDM Sergio Busquets – 6
Did his normal duties, silently conducting the orchestra that is Barcelona’s passing. He’s not the type to get too physical but he was crunched into several times (unsurprisingly in a Clasico), but handled himself well. However, he wasn’t too effective in the second half as Madrid controlled the midfield for the most part. Doesn’t often score but should have when the ball bounced around the box and landed at his feet.
CM Ivan Rakitic – 5.5
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Like Busquets, Rakitic went about his usual business in the midfield. His work ethic was high, but his work on the ball left some to be desired. With Iniesta aging and Busquets holding, you’d like your third central midfielder to have a bit more of an impact in pushing the ball through the midfield or at least linking up passes.
CM Andres Iniesta – 5
A frustrating opening saw Barca lack possession. That meant Messi dropped deep to get the ball at his feet, effectively cutting out the middle man in Iniesta. He barely made an impact in the second half and probably should have been taken off 10 minutes before he actually was. Iniesta is still capable of producing, but he was not going to tonight.