FC Barcelona Player Ratings against Real Mallorca on 03/01/09

Valdes - 6 - Didn’t have a good game. Made a number of mistakes, spilled the ball on many occasion. Looked confused when coming off the line and should thank Abidal for saving him twice.

Puyol - 8.5 - The best player on the pitch. Was good while going forward and was a constant treat upfront.

Marquez - 6.5 - Had an average game, did very well in defense but was caught out some times.

Sanchez - 3 - WAs nowhere to seen. Had to be blamed for the first goal. Then you can’t blame, he is a centre midfielder who was slotted to play the centre defense role.

Abidal - 7 - Had a decent game in both attack and defense. Most importantly covered the defense well and made no mistake.

Xavi - 8 - Great performance with so many good passes and involvement in attack.

Toure - 8 - Another stellar performance which was capped with a better goal. May be blamed for the goal but then redeemed himself later on.

Gudjonsen - 7 - Wasn’t any spectacular, but was involved in many move. Lost possession cheaply in many occasion.

Hleb - 7 - Like Gudjonsen had a decent game but nothing spectacular to show off.

Eto - 6.5 - Was missing for many time and missed some good chances.

Henry - 7.5 - Good game by the frenchman. He was the best attack minded player we had on the pitch.

Substitutes:

Alves (7), Iniesta (8) and Sylvinho (7)

Written by Bibin on January 4th, 2009 with no comments.
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FC Barcelona Player rating against Real Madrid 13-12-08

Valdes - 9 - For me the Man of The Match of this victory. Produce crucial saves in critical time to to deny Madrid. Have silenced his critics with a stellar of performance.

Alves - 7.5 - Did well during this match. Going forward did well but was caught out once or twice in defense. Then can’t blame him as he was trying to instill some pace after Xavi went missing in the match.

Marquez - 8 - Great game by the Mexican captain. Was so assured in the defense.

Puyol - 8.5 - Great game by the captain. Created the goal. He was given space to move forward but could not use that, then he is a defender. Produced many crucial intervention.

Abidal - 7.5 - Another solid performance. Did not make any mistake in defense, but could have done better while going forward.

Xavi - 5 - Disappeared in the game very early. He could not get involved in any move. That left Messi exposed in the left flank.

Toure - 8.5 - Another brilliant performance by the Ivory Coast international. He neutralized the Real Madrid midfield effectively. But I would like to him not to do tricky moves while defending. He pulled all those well.

Gudjonsen - 6.5 - Was better than Xavi, but could not create and chance or good ball.

Messi - 7 - Did well in the initail stages but got tired of getting kicked regularly and that took the fiss out of his game. But did well to get the gall with a great finish.

Eto - 6.5 - Had a forgettable night. Then with two creative midfielders out of rhythm it was difficult for him to get the ball. Missed the penalty but did well to grab the goal.

Henry - 7.5 - Was the better of all attacking players. He actually got involved in all the moves.

Substitutes :

Busquets - 8 - His introduction did magic for the team. Won a penalty and was good to see him going forward.

Hleb (7) & Keita (6)

Written by Bibin on December 14th, 2008 with no comments.
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FC Barcelona Player Rating against Valencia 06/12/08

Valdes - 7 - Never had to make any good save in the match.

Alves - 8 - Unbelievable. He looked so dangerous while going forward. Capped the performance with a goal which would have made any striker happy for the finish. Valencia never had any wingers to exploit his attacking prows on the right.

Marquez - 8.5 - For me the pick of defense. Unbelievable; was commanding at his best and looked so happy to have partnered with his captain again.

Puyol - 8 - Another typical Puyol performance. Wonderfully held the defnse and his team together. Made many crucial interventions to make sure that David Villa never got a sniff of a chance.

Abidal - 8 - I have to admit that when I saw him on the starting line-up I was a bit worried. That all came to end with he giving his best performance to date.

Xavi - 8.5 - He wasn’t upto the usual Xavi standard in recent matches. But in this one that was Xavi at his best.

Toure - 8 - Like Puyol his performance can be described as a typical Toure like performance. There are enough rumours of his departure from FC barcelona; but if he keeps on performing like this Guardiola will die rather than letting him go. Everyone used to say he is rather calm in attacking area but that pass to find Henry for the first goal would have made the best in business jealous.

Gudjonsen - 7 - A decent performance by the Iceland National. He was involved in all the moves and did take the pressure of Xavi in the midfield.

Messi - 7 - A very quiet night by his standards. Still forced Renan to pull up a couple of saves to deny him; then that’s Messi. Wasn’t looking assured in the dribbling but then it happens when you are being double marked always.

Henry - 9 - Man of the Match of today’s game. Good to see him getting goals. The best fact is that he did it while occupying the left flank. That means he can still produce this display when Eto returns.

Hleb - 7.5 - Very difficult to describe his performance. It was kind of switching off anf switch on. He will produce a moment of magic and then gave away cheap ball to opposition. Still was a great performance which was capped with an assist and a couple of shot being saved by Renan.

Substitutes :

Bojan (7.5), Pedro (7) and Keita.

Written by Bibin on December 7th, 2008 with no comments.
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Barca Player rating against Sevilla 29/11/08

Valdes - 6.5 - Was very active in the first half. Did not make any mistake and that was the reason why Barca went to the half time with a goal lead. Never was called upon in the second half. Was good in dealing with the high balls.

Alves - 6 - Looked average today, especially against Adriano. Adriano never let him off the hook in the first half. Defensively he never could tame Adriano.

Pique - 5.5 - For me he was the weakest link in the match. Always caught off guard while dealing with Kanoute and fabiano. he was lucky that those two guys weren’t on the top of their game. But he was extremely lucky not to be send off.

Marquez - 7 - Did not make any mistake in the match. Made sure that he covered his partner regularly.

Puyol - 7 - Good game eventhough his problems being a right footed player on the left was exposed in this match. Regualrly came to the rescue of his centre halves.

Xavi - 7.5 - Good performance. Was kept quiet early on first half but did come to life. The header to place Messi ahead for the second goal was top class.

Toure - 8.5 - For me he was the best player on the pitch especially if you consider the consistency. Won most of challenges and did well while going forward. Another no-nonsense performance.

Keita - 5 - Poor performance. May have been over whelmed by the occasion.

Messi - 8.5 - Was quiet till the hour mark; but came to life after that. Destroyed the Sevilla defense with his excellent finish. Two season ago we were really worried about his finishing; now thinking of that makes me laugh.

Eto - 7.5 - Another great performance. But should not have picked up that yellow card. If there is a word to describe hi it sould be “Poacher”.

Henry - 7 - Did occupy the left flank really well. But was let down by his own shooting. Whenever he tried to create chances for his team-mates he did well.

Substitutes:

Hleb(7), Gudjonsen(6) and Busquets(6).

Written by Bibin on November 30th, 2008 with no comments.
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FC Barcelona Player Rating against Getafe 23/11/08

Valdes - 5.5 - He undone all the good impression he created in recent weeks by his trademark spill which luckily for him didn,t go into goal. Was otherwise decent in the match. Couldn’t do much for the goal; but I would like to see him anticipating a bit more as Barca is conceding goal in this fashion. Everyone curls ball past Valdes if given some space.

Alves - 6.5 - Was one of the better players in today’s match. Was caught at times while defending but then you can’t complaint. Produced a telling cross which resulted in the goal. But many of his cross wasn’t up to the mark.

Pique - 6 - Was at fault for giving away the ball that resulted in the goal. Had a great header saved by Getafe Goal Keeper. But looked susceptible in defense. I am saying it again I don’t see him holding his place when Milito returns.

Puyol - 7 - If it was not for Puyol we would have conceded more. Regularly went forward to inspire team and sometimes left huge void in the defense because of that.

Sylvinho - 6 - Rare start. Did not commit any big mistake but still did not do anything to warrant a place. Was denied by Pato but his strike was stunning. He wasn’t helped by the fact that Hlen ahead of him wasn’t in any sync with him. Looked good when Henry came; but was substituted shortly.

Xavi - 6 - Another poor game. Guardiola is not helping him by putting two defensive minded players in middle; it leaves Getafe enough players to mark our general out. Needs to tighten up his game; he is giving away ball cheaply.

Toure - 6.5 - Good game as a DM. Gave away ball in a dangerous position but was lucky. Did well to rest possession in many occasion but wasn’t that good when going forward. Guardiola should encourage him to take some long range shots.

Keita - 6 - Got the goal otherwise a very poor performance. Played out of position. But regularly gave away the ball.

Bojan - 4.5 - Disaster. Barca fans should not do the stupidity of writing him off like Giovani. He is good and remember he is 18 years old. Guardiola needs to assure him; he looked more desperate than anything; Wasted many chances.

Eto - 6.5 - Hard working. Was undone by the lack of service. Missed Messi like hell. Maybe this is my analysis - I think Messi and Eto gels well and Iniesta nad Xavi gels well. The moment Iniesta was sidelined Xavi gone off pace a bit; and without Messi Eto is struggling to get the ball. He dropped back and created some movement to his credit. But he should have swapped his position with Bojan much often.

Hleb - 4 - Bojan atleast saw most of the ball; Hleb wasn’t in picture. Was disappointing to see this. May be we can have one more player for that wide left role.

Substitutes :
Henry (6.5) & Pedro (6.5) - Instilled pace that was missing.
Gudjonsen (5.5) - Wasn’t involved in anything.

Written by Bibin on November 24th, 2008 with no comments.
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Barca Player Rating against Recreativo on 16/11/08

Valdes - 7 - Had more interventions than he is accustomed to in recent weeks. Organised his back four well especially against free kicks. He should be happy that he once again produced an error free display.

Alves - 7 - Ok, a rating of 7 may be injustice to Alves especially his involvement in the attacks; but he was caught out on counter every time.Marquez and Toure had to produce vital interventions to sniff out any danger. Going forward he is once again a phenomenon. It is still yet to see how he will fare defensively against top opponents.

Pique - 7 - Had a quiet night. Did well to sniff out some danger. But was caught out on multiple occasions. It is difficult to see him holding his place when Milito returns to full fitness.

Marquez - 7.5 - Better of the center defenders. Did well while going forward also. Covered Alves many times.

Puyol - 7.5 - Another Captains performance.Covered his centre defenders many times. May not look convincing as a left back but is better than Sylvinho in that position.

Xavi - 6.5 - Was not involved for most of the game. Came to life in the second half.

Toure - 7 - Great performance but was shaky at times. Gave away balls from crucial position but backtracked get most of them back.

Busquets - 6.5 - It is tough for him to be slotted as a attack mided midfielder. he is more comfortable in the DM role. Still linked well with the attcking players but needed more creaticity for the role he occupied especially with Xavi Off-Colour in the first half.

Messi - 8.5 - Sensational is the only word comes to the mind. He alone organised the attack at times. Was very effective and capped a brilliant performance with a great goal.

Eto - 7 - Hard working day for the Cameroonian. But was shaky in front of goal at times. Back tracked to help the defense.

Henry - 7 - Usual Henry display for Barca. Hard working, Determined but lacking flair. Missed some good oppurtunities, produced a brilliant cross which resulted in the keita goal. Henry needs to improve a lot, he is not hurting the team but he needs to take mantle against team with compact defense. Remember that was what he was bought for. There are already cries of removing henry from the eleven; I would say he is much better than last season and is enjoying his game. We have to admit he will not reach his Arsenal day’s form but I think he still can improve this season.

Substitutes:

Sylvinho (6), Keita (7) and Bojan (5)

Written by Bibin on November 17th, 2008 with no comments.
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FC Barcelona vs Valladoid Player Rating on 08/11/08

Valdes - 8 - Great performance. He did well to keep his clean sheet . Produced some telling saves to make sure that the pressure never acme at FC Barcelon.

Alves - 7 - Another great performance going forward. Was caught at many times coming backward but was pretty competitive. You cannot complain about his defensive vulneress as he is more like an attacking right winger.

Marquez - 8.5 - What a match!!! There was a period of time in the first half prior to the second goal when Valladoid was applying immense pressure. Marquez stood tall and atleast cut down four attacking oppurtunity.

Pique - 6 - Was at fault at many times. On occasion he lost ball was lucky to see Marquez covering him on every occasion.

Puyol - 7.5 - Great game. Was great on the left flank. Did drop into middle to help the centre defenders.

Xavi - 6.5 - Did started the game well but went quiet after that. Had a decent game but more was expected of him naturally.

Toure - 7 - Did well throughout the match. May not be as good as previous matches and lost some balls cheaply but was assuring in the midfield.

Gudjonsen - 7.5 - Did complement others well. Great finish to get into scoresheet.

Messi - 9.5 - What a match!! He controleld the match and showed his true capabilities. Was a mess to deal with for the defense. Played his part in every goal.

Eto - 9.5 - Great striker to have in the team. Give the ball to him in the box he will get the goal. Leading Pichichi by some distance now.

Henry - 7 - Didn’t do much of mistake and complemented well. But he kepth the scoreline to six with missing a host of chances.

Substitutes : Hleb(7), caceres (6) and Keita (6)

Written by Bibin on November 9th, 2008 with no comments.
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Barca Player rating against Malaga 01/11/2008

Valdes - 7 - The goal was not at all his fault. Was solid through out. Didn’t see much of the ball but in tricky conditions never made a mistake.

Alves - 7 - Struggled at times to go forward due to watery pitch. But again a spirited display and created the fourth goal.

Marquez - 7 - Didn’t had much to do and was solid.

Pique - 7 - Had an excellent night apart from the mistake which led to the Malaga goal. Was more comfortable than Marquez with the state of the pitch.

Puyol - 7.5 - Great night playing at left back. Was caught out at times but did well while going forward.

Busquests - 6 - Average performance by the youngster. Was very clumsy with his challenges.

Toure - 7.5 - Another solid display from the Ivory coast player. Did well turning defense to atatck. Most admirable fact was that he won most of his challenges well in such tricky conditions.

Xavi - 8.5 - Without any doubt the best player of the night. His early goal from free kick settled the nerves and was instrumental in all moves.

Messi - 8 - I will say this was the best performance of his this season. He adjusted to the pitch well and god only know how he found the space for the second goal.

Eto - 7.5 - Great performance. He may not have been in the scoresheet. Like Messi he understood the pitch early and dropped back to help his mates.

Iniesta - 5 - Never was in the game. He couldn’t get a grip of watery pitch and was rightly replaced.

Substitutions:

Henry - 7 - Great performance by the Frenchman. Used his experience well in a the watery picth. For once he looks like enjoying the game at Barca and looks like more than ready to do his part.

Sanchez & Bojan - Didn’t get much time.

Written by Bibin on November 2nd, 2008 with no comments.
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FC Barcelona Player rating against Almeria 25/10/08

Valdes - 7 - Had nothing much to do for most part of the match. In the 28th and last minute of thematch he pulled off two good save to keep a deserving clean sheet.

Alves - 8 - He himself have said that it took some time for him to settle in the team. Today’s performance was a testimony to the fact that he has already settled in the team. Did well as usual while going forward; in contrast to other matches did equally well while defending. Capped a great performance with a goal.

Marquez - 7 - Like Valdes had nothing much to do. Failed to deal with a ball in the 28th minute, luckily for him Valdes saved him. Apart from that blemish controlled the defnse well.

Puyol - 7.5 - Like his conter-part had nothing to do. Occasionally went forward and now there is a confidence in him while going forward. Marshalled his boys well.

Abidal - 8 - Terrific match for this french national. Two match before he looked like a disaster in waiting; but now he is showing the glimpses of why he was so highly rated and brought by Rijkaard. Wone almost all his challenges and was great to see him covering his centre-backs with ease.

Xavi - 8 - General of midfield. This has become a habit for him to churn out great performance. Unselfishly squared the ball to eto for the third goal.

Toure - 8.5 - Great game for this Ivory Coast palyer. Is returning to his last season form. Created the first goal with a great pass. Won almost all the challenges. He is indeed the assurance Messi, Iniesta and co requires while going forward.

Iniesta - 9 - What a match for this gentleman. When it looked like he is well settled in the front left role he churns out another terrific performance in middle. Guardiola would be worried now to decide where to use him. Was involved in all the FC Barcelona move. Which fool prepared the Ballon D’Or nomination list?

Messi - 8 - Great match again for this Argentinian wonder kid. He may not have been at his best today, but a half good Messi is enough to create two goals.

Eto - 8.5 - Almost all his goals were easy tappin after others have done the hard work. But to his credit he cooly converted all of them. Great presence infornt of the goal.

Henry - 7 - Wasn’t that great. But showed that he can complement his other team mates. Even if Iniesta drops to midfield I have genuine doubt whether he will keep the postion especiall with Hleb trying so hard.

Substitutes:

Hleb, Bojan and Sanchez - 6.5 - The game has cooled off befor they came. only Hleb did make some small impact.

Written by Bibin on October 26th, 2008 with no comments.
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Barca player rating against FC Basel

Valdes - 6 - Contrast to the weekend, Valdes was more tentative. He was struggling to collect regular crosses. The toothless Basel attack was the main reason he was able to keep a clean sheet.

Alves - 8 - Best game of his season. Was trmendous going forward. Penetrated the defense with a great no-look pass to messi which resulted in the first goal. Was instrumental throughout the match.

Marquez -7 - After a series of poor performance we saw the real Marquez today. Didn’t have too much to do but was solid especially in front of a tentative Goal Keeper.

Puyol - 7.5 - Like Marquez had nothing much to do throughout the match. marshalled his boys tremendously.

Sylvinho - 6.5 - Was great when going forward. Appeared to have caught once or twice in defense. Showed great presence on the pitch especially considering the lack of match practice.

Xavi - 8.5- Performed like a true Gladiator. Was slotted as the only creative head in the midfield. Was tremendous. Scored one goal created one for Busquests and was involved in every move.

Toure - 8 - Because of the number of goals scored nobody noticed his performance. Gave a majestic performance. Won 95% of his tackles. Played the role of DM to near perfection. Guardiola would have to think twice now to overlook him for DM role.

Busquests - 7.5 - Great performance. Scored one goal and created one for Bojan. May not have won all the tackles but is improving by leaps and bounds. Answered his critics who claimed that he is toothless when going forward.

Messi - 9 - Was all over the pitch in the right sense. Cool finish for the first goal and was involved in every move. May have been a bit selfish at times but if he is in this kind of form we all can live with that.

Bojan - 8 - Great performnace. Scored twice but issed atleast three good chance. But that’s ok. He would feel great with the start and the goals.

Hleb - 7.5 - Did well to stay in the match. At times the lack of match practice showed. But was good on the left side. Will have a tough time to keep that spot ahead of Iniesta.

Substitutions:

Henry - 6.5 - Missed a great header. Overall was good and came at a time when Barcelona was cooling off.

Caceres and Victor Sanchez - 6 - Decent performance.

Written by Bibin on October 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
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