Barcelona kicked off their La Liga campaign with a difficult game against Getafe. Barcelona finished with 75% possession but were unable to break down a stubborn Getafe team who camped in their own-half for much of the game.
It was a feisty affair with Getafe often committing off the ball fouls, but it was Raphinha who saw red for violent conduct off the ball. Mata followed Raphinha down the tunnel in the second half to leave both sides with 10 players, and Barca manager Xavi was also sent to the stands.
In total referee Cesar Soto Grado handed out10 yellow cards and 3 reds.
Despite Barcelona’s possession dominance they were only able to put 4 shots on target
We’ve got your player ratings from a disappointing start to the season.
Goalkeeper
Marc-Andre ter Stergen (c) – 7
Was largely a spectator for most of the game, and there were periods when he could have nipped off for a siesta. Didn’t have a lot to do but his ball disposal was as good as it usually is.
Defenders
Jules Kounde – 8
Kounde had a really good game tidying up everything at the back. He won the majority of his aerial duels (4 of 6), his passing was excellent both short and long, and he used his face to mitigate the very little threat that Getafe offered. A lot of his possession was safe, and he’ll certainly have tougher tests to come, but an all-around good game for Kounde.
Andreas Christensen – 6
Was substituted at half-time in favour of the more attacking Abde with De Jong moving to centre-back. Until Raphinha got sent off, Christensen was largely playing as a defensive midfielder as Barca dominated possession. He was tidy enough on the ball completing 97.7% of his passes and had a couple of good long balls, but with Getafe offering little going forward he wasn’t tested a great deal.
Alejandro Balde – 7
Defensively very sound and used his pace to get back and sniff out any threat or danger, but didn’t offer a great deal going forward and the space he wanted to run in was occupied by Abde in the second half, with the two getting in each others way at times. But his defensive work is faultless
Ronald Araujo – 7
If I could copy and past the above, it would be suitable. Araujo was as good defensively as you expect him to be. But he does look a little lost when getting into the final third. He puts a lot of effort in but it’s just that final little bit of quality that’s often missing from Araujo and it’s a perfect example of why Barcelona absolutely have to get a right-back in before the window closes.
Midfielders
Frenkie de Jong – 8
Not sure whether to put Frenkie with the midfielders or the defenders today. He spent the first half as a central midfielder and the second half as a central defender. In both positions he was the composer trying to dicate the play. He showed a willingness to burst through the lines and carry the ball forward and he was arguably Barcelona’s best player tonight.
Oriol Romeu – 6
Didn’t do anything wrong and wasn’t overly taxed with Getafe playing a 6-2-2 formation at points, with the two forwards in their own half. So Romeu’s main job was to keep the ball moving. A couple of passes went astray in the final third and he had a chance which he blazed over the bar. This wasn’t really the kind of game Romeu thrives in as he didn’t have a ton of defensive work to do. Too many times possession was lost.
Pedri – 7
He started slow but he really came into the game in the second half. He created a few chances and had some cutting passes. He was actually very good in his defensive work winning the ball high up the pitch, but the main connection between him and Lewandowski just wasn’t there. He only completed around 82% of his passes but he at least showed a real willingness to move the ball forward.
Ilkay Gundogan – 6
At points, you saw exactly what Gundogan will bring to Barcelona, with intricate passing and some very intelligent runs. But it just didn’t work out for him in the game and he wasn’t able to link up with Lewandowski enough. He lost possession on 11 occasions, which is too much for someone of his quality. He had one of the best chances of the game early where he fired straight into the keeper.
Gavi – 7
Wasn’t really able to impact the game and it’s pretty clear that after spending much of the pre-season on the sidelines, he’s still lacking that match fitness. It will eventually come and he’ll be a key player this year. Giving him a 7 for the block he put in at the end of the game when Getafe broke after the penalty shout.
Forwards
Robert Lewandowski – 5
I thought Lewandowski was really poor today. He just didn’t look sharp in any area, losing the ball on 11 occasions and completing just 73% of his passes. He didn’t seem to be on the same page as his teammates, and considering he wasn’t offering a great deal, I’m surprised we didn’t see Ferran Torres introduced at some point. I’m hopeful that Lewandowski will improve, but I didn’t think he looked overly sharp in the pre-season either.
Raphinha – 3 (RED CARD – 42 MINUTES)
A moment of petulance earned Raphinha the first red card of his career. The Brazilian was baited into lashing out at the defender and having already been booked for arguing, referee Cesar Soto Grado had no hesitation in sending Raphinha down the tunnel. It’s a shame, as up to that point the former Leeds man had been the most dangerous attacker for Barcelona, constantly getting in behind. Getafe was baiting the Barca forwards all night with little niggles and off-the-ball challenges that went largely unpunished, but Raphinha should know better than to lash out like that.
Abde Ezzalzouli – 6
Abde came on and injected some much-needed pace into the side, but his end-product was really lacking throughout. He often looked as though he was in two minds, and maybe tried to do too much when he should have played simple, and played simple when he should have attacked.
Lamine Yamal – 6
It’s hard to ask a 16-year-old midfielder to come on and change the game, but Yamal is no ordinary 16-year-old midfielder. He had the one cross to Fati which led to a scoring chance, but not a lot else. They’ll be days when he will come on and win the game for Barcelona, I think we all know that.
Ansu Fati – 5
It really wasn’t his day today. He had that one chance to make a statement and blazed the ball over the bar. He compled 72% of his passes and looked a little out-of-sorts. Maybe all the transfer rumours that are swirling are acting as a distraction.
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