FC Barcelona's Copa Del Rey campaign continued tonight in Huesca against UD Barbastro. Despite the perceived quality of the rival, Xavi opted for quite a strong lineup, all things considered. A good, commanding win is sorely needed amidst all the confusion, and the Catalan manager aimed to provide that.
The first half played out pretty much as you'd expect, with Barça having several goal-scoring opportunities while very much limiting Barbastro. Quite early on, Fermín was able to score a quality goal, and despite several chances, it would remain 1-0 at the half. Soon after, Raphinha would score the second, and Barbastro would pull one back. Lewandowski's penalty gave Barça the 3-1 lead, but another penalty to the home side would see the match end 3-2. A victory, to be sure, but not quite a comfortable one. Let's see how each player contributed:
Goalkeeper
Peña - 6/10: Why does Iñaki refuse to just catch crosses? He keeps punching them away when he totally doesn't have to, and not very well, I might add. One of Barbastro's few chances came off of his error. His command of the box certainly needs to improve. As for the goals, one was a wild scrum in the box and the other a penalty. Not much he could've done, but still. Improvement is needed.
Defenders
Araújo - 7.5/10: Araújo was jumped on by a Barbastro forward and brushed it off like he wasn't even there. The Uruguayan is a physical freak, to be sure. He showed it in this one, as he was caught out of position a few times and managed to get back to his spot in no time. He also had a few nice long balls to Raphinha and Fermín, which was nice to see.
Christensen - 7/10: A good game from him tonight. He is, as usual, a very consistent player. I can only think of a small handful of matches this season he hasn't been good, and even those are usually not because of him.
Koundé - 7.5/10: Very good on that right-hand side. He is progressive, attack-minded, and had a few good balls into the box. Barça found a lot of success down the right in the first half, and Koundé played well off Fermín and Raphinha. He's a very good right back, which makes it just a bit puzzling that he reportedly doesn't like to play there. He's good as a center back too, as he showed in the second.
Fort - 8/10 : Not a ton of great actions involving him, and haven't always been the biggest fan of Hector. However, he was solid in that first half, playing on the left, and he definitely showed he has what it takes to at least be in the first team dynamics. In the second, he woke up a bit. They found him open more, and his cross was pin-point perfect for Raphinha's goal. An absolutely sublime ball. Despite a shoulder injury, he stayed in and was great. Very nice game overall for Fort, and I'm excited to see him get some more chances soon.
Martínez - 6/10: Played very few minutes after coming on, sadly. He seemed to pull up lame with yet another muscle injury, which is devastating for him. When he was on the pitch, though, he was solid.
Roberto - 7/10: Played as a right back after Martínez went out. He came on and immediately drew two fouls, which was something. He provided a pretty good outlet against the Barbastro press as well. Ever since his return from injury, he's actually been quite good.
Midfielders
De Jong - 8/10: Frenkie played a very physical match in this one. Perhaps it was the closer camera angle in the smaller stadium, but he really appeared to be bossing the midfield. He used his physicality very well, and was his usual creative self, passing and dribbling. He seems to have focused more on defense recently, which is very good.
Romeu - 6.5/10: He was fine in this one. Did what he needed to do, while limiting his mistakes. Games like this are what Romeu was signed for, and he defended fairly well. He did lose possession once in a pretty dangerous area, but apart from that he was adequate.
Fermín - 7/10: Fermín was quite good in this one. He associates well with his teammates and plays the attacking midfielder role very capably. He makes runs into the box at correct times (for the first goal) and he also knows when to spring others free. Very energetic and played well with Koundé to create danger on the right. He's talented. A player for the future for sure. However, can't give him an 8 because of the penalty he conceded. Pretty unacceptable, and silly. One mistake can mean a lot in this sport.
Gundogan - 6.5/10: Hard to say, as the game was disjointed when he came on and chaotic towards the end. He didn't have much of a hand in this one, but he did well and didn't commit any errors. He also played only 20 minutes. Therefore, an average grade seems best.
Forwards
Félix - 6.5/10: He's been up and down all season, and lately it's been down. The Portuguese winger did well enough, to be fair, but it was Felix's error while passing it back to Christensen that led to Barbastro's goal. He did have a goal ruled out for offside (that didn't seem offside to me, but what do I know?). Not a terrible game, but could've been much better. I grade him harshly because of how good he might end up being, not to mention the price tag it'll take to keep him. Time is running out for him, though.
Raphinha 7.5/10: Good in the first half. He provided the assist for the first goal, and his pace in behind caused the defense problems. The typical problems were there (finishing plays) but he was good and effective against this sort of setup. He also made a great run for the second goal, which he needed. Matches like this will hopefully unlock some confidence in him, which can only be good going forward.
Ferran: 7/10: Not as effective in this one as he has been, but sometimes that happens. He did have one shot through on goal that he just couldn't get past the keeper (The keeper was pretty great though).
Roque - 6.5: He had a great chance to score the fourth late on, but the keeper expertly covered the space. It's much too early to give him proper grades, I feel, but he was a bit invisible in this one and often left alone out on the left, as the Brazilian wanted to stay central. He'll definitely improve in short order, though. I have no doubt about that.
Lewandowski - 7/10: His penalty was the match-winner, essentially, and it was a cool finish. He looked quite engaged in this one, and I can't help but wonder if he isn't more suited to a bench role at this point. Or at least, have him coming off the bench as more of an option. That probably won't happen, of course.
In the end, it's a win for Xavi's squad, but one that was hard-fought. Coming into the game already short-handed, they've been dealt another injury blow. However, they've gone into enemy territory and come out with a win. I'm sure the press will grill the Catalan manager again (How did you concede twice?) but it must be said, hats off to Barbastro. The 4th division side came out and showed their fight. Next up for FC Barcelona, on to the semi-final against Osasuna. Let's hope for a similar result.