FC Barcelona win 2-0 over Malaga: Player Ratings

Barcelona continues their great start to the season with a 2-0 league win over La Liga foe Malaga. Here are the player ratings for the Blaugrana.

Through goals from Gerard Deulofeu and Andres Iniesta, Barcelona continued their unbeaten run to start the season. A 2-0 victory over Malaga for the Blaugrana assures that they continue to set the pace in La Liga. Lionel Messi played a big part in Iniesta’s goal, but didn’t add to his incredible scoring pace this season. Here are the player ratings for the home match at Camp Nou.

Goalkeeper

Marc Andre ter Stegen (6.5): The German international wasn’t busy making saves throughout the match. However, he had to be good with his feet in this match and he was able to distribute to the teams tactics.

Defenders

Sergi Roberto (7.5): Nelson Semedo was left out of the team by Ernesto Valverde, so Sergi Roberto played right-back. He didn’t show his skill there, but in midfield he was a lot better especially in the second half.

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Samuel Umtiti (8): Umtiti is currently Barca’s best center-back and it isn’t close. Gerard Pique hasn’t played well this year and Javier Mascherano hasn’t played much. Umtiti has been consistent and he did the dirty work for the Blaugrana against Malaga.

Javier Mascherano (7): I did say Mascherano hasn’t played as much, but he did start against Malaga with Umtiti. He had a key pass in the build-up to the second goal. Despite little playing time, Mascherano is still important to Barca.

Lucas Digne (6.5): Digne has been a good back-up for the last few matches. In the Champions League match in mid-week, he grabbed a goal. Against Malaga, he got an assist on the first goal despite the ball being out of play when he crossed it.

Midfielders

Sergio Busquets (6.5): Usually, Busquets plays well, but he was a bit off against Malaga. The Brazilain, Paulinho, replaced him with 15 minutes left.

Ivan Rakitic (5): Rakitic hasn’t convinced Ernesto Valverde recently. He was rested in the Champions League match and didn’t play particularly well.

Andres Iniesta (8): Iniesta is still world-class at his age. He scored the second goal of the match, his first league goal in nearly two years. If Lionel Messi is Barca’s most valuable player, Iniesta is a close second.

Forwards

Gerard Deulofeu (6.5): Deulofeu played the first half against Olympiacos in mid-week. In addition to that, he quickly opened the scoring against Malaga. The decision-making is getting a little bit better and his development will be key this season.

Luis Suarez (5): When Luis Suarez is at his very best, he is one of the best strikers in the world. However, El Pistolero has been anything but good this season. He missed another sitter and was replaced by Paco Alcacer. Barca need him to step up.

Lionel Messi (7.5): The magic man continues to contribute to Barca’s success. He didn’t score, but he did get an assist on Iniesta’s goal. Overall, there are people who set the bar in their sport, but Messi is the bar of world football.

Substitutes

Nelson Semedo (7): Semedo came on and played his natural right-back position in the second half. Overall, Semedo and Sergi Roberto need to start together so they can play their natural positions.

Paulinho (7.5): Remember when no one liked the signing of Paulinho? Well, the Brazilian is making fans forget about all of that. He had a another good performance, this time off the bench against Malaga.

Paco Alcacer (INC.): Only a short cameo for Paco Alcacer, but maybe he could be back in Valverde’s plans.

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Manager

Ernesto Valverde (6.5): Valverde has been good at getting results for the Blaugrana. However, there are still a few things to work on including production in the final third. Overall, the team continues to win and they weren’t really troubled against Malaga.