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It was a windy day at the Bernabeu that will not be forgotten for quite some time, as a Barcelona masterclass comprehensively dismantled the home side that quite simply failed to show up. Barcelona was expected to have a tough time these couple of months, with Lionel Messi’s injury compounding their worries, and Real should have taken full advantage of it.
But Luis Suarez, Neymar and Andres Iniesta ensured the Catalan club took the spoils as they went six points clear of Real Madrid who hae now suffered back-to-back defeats. Here are the player ratings for the first Clasico of the season.
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas – 5/10
While you couldn’t really blame him for most of Barca’s goals, his presence at the back did nothing to soothe a shaky defence. He might have gone to the ground a tad too early for the fourth goal but he made a couple of decent saves, notably one off a Neymar free-kick.
Marcelo – 5.5/10
He was one of Real’s better players, bombing forward whenever he got the opportunity, although it left his flank defensively weak. A brilliant goal line headed clearance from him denied Barca a third goal just before half-time. He also made a good run forward and made it past the Barca defence soon after the restart only to skew his shot wide. Surprisingly, he was substituted near the hour mark for Carvajal.
Danilo – 4/10
He was ripped to shreds by the duo of Neymar and Jordi Alba, both of whom literally ran circles around the Madrid full-back. Danilo was also guilty of giving away the ball cheaply while on the counter and his inclusion in the XI instead of Carvajal came as a surprise.
Sergio Ramos – 4.5/10
The Madrid captain had a day to forget as he failed to lead his side’s defence at all with the back four dragged all across the pitch. He was guilty of trying to play Neymar into an offside trap and ended up stupidly playing him onside which led to the second goal.
A challenge on Luis Suarez inside the penalty area went unpunished, and he should count himself lucky to even be on the pitch after already having picked up a yellow card by that point. He redeemed himself to some extent with an improvised back-heel clearance of what would have mostly been a goal for Suarez in the second half.
Raphael Varane – 4.5/10
A rash display from the young Frenchman who was far from his usual composed self. The lack of composure seemed to make him commit a number of glaring errors. Misplaced passes were not uncommon and, more crucially, he couldn’t pick up the run of Sergi Roberto and was left waiting in the dead as he assisted Suarez for the first goal. He repeated the feat with Neymar to concede the second goal.
Luka Modric – 4.5/10
Modric was far from his best and looked bereft of any ideas or any defensive nous, giving Barca players acres of space in the middle of the park from which to operate. He failed to create any sort of impact going forward either.
Toni Kroos – 4.5/10
Invisible. One word to describe his performance in the first half at least. He barely saw any of the ball, but he had a healthy 93% pass success rate when he did. He wasn’t particularly noteworthy with his set-piece delivery either. He improved slightly in the second half but to no effect, and was very ponderous both on and off the ball.
James Rodriguez – 5.5/10
He was probably Madrid’s brightest player, and that he was nowhere near his best speaks volumes about Madrid’s day. He forced Bravo into two excellent saves, on either side of half-time. He looked mostly likely to create anything for Madrid before being surprisingly taken off at the hour mark for Isco.
Gareth Bale – 5/10
A thoroughly underwhelming performance from the world’s most expensive player. He did send in a number of great crosses, though, and cut-in from the right wing, only to skew his shot wide or for his fellow attackers to do the same.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 6/10
Ronaldo barely saw much of the ball. He was see passing the ball back to his defence or midfield as the Barca defence closed down his attacks. A one-on-one chance with Bravo that should have been in the back of the net was spectacularly blocked by Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
Karim Benzema – 4.5/10
An unhappy return from injury for the Frenchman who was in turns, anonymous and laborious. Whenever on the ball, he took too long, and often his first touch was downright poor. The only real contribution was forcing Bravo into a flying save late on.
Substitutes
Isco – 4/10
A player of Isco’s class would walk into the starting XI of almost any other team on the planet. Sadly, Real Madrid is Real Madrid, and the player sometimes cuts a frustrated figure. He showed glimpses of his sheer class, cutting past Barcelona players with ease and purpose, before his frustration got the better of him when he brought down Neymar with a stupid and disgraceful boot to the Brazillian’s knee after he was beaten. Rightly given a direct red card and sent off.
Dani Carvajal – 4/10
Carvajal failed to offer anything new that Marcelo couldn’t but one would be justified in feeling that he should have started ahead of Danilo. He was booked late on for a stupid and needless challenge on Neymar.
Barcelona
Claudio Bravo – 8.5/10
A majestic display from the Barcelona goalkeeper, keeping out anything and everything that came his way. He didn’t have much to do in the first half but was called into action in the second, making an amazing 8 crucial saves through the course of the match. A thoroughly deserved clean sheet.
Dani Alves – 6.5/10
He could be guilty of theatrics, getting on the nerves of Madridistas, as he seemed to crumple to the ground at the slightest contact. He offered an outlet while attacking on the right, though, and did not shirk his defensive duties, tracking back to close down Real Madrid attacks.
Jordi Alba – 7.5/10
An immense showing in the first half where he linked up with Neymar brilliantly to run the Madrid defence ragged. He gave Danilo a torrid time and even tracked back to match Bale with his blistering pace while defending. He lost some steam as Barca started to take their foot off the pedal after the third goal but popped up at the right time to recieve Messi’s pass and direct it to Suarez for the fourth goal.
Gerard Pique – 7/10
Pique seems to relish playing against Madrid and looked the least bit fazed by the Madrid boo-boys who tried their best to get to him every time he had the ball. A trademark performance from the centre-back as he effortlessly closed down attacks and looked supremely confident on the ball.
He desperately wanted a goal at the Bernabeu, and would have probably got it had Munir not sent his shot wide. He was also lucky to escape a penalty for a handball in the box.
Javier Mascherano – 6.5/10
The Argentine was his usual self, breaking up play and intercepting balls before picking up an injury. He attempted to continue playing but had to be substituted for Jeremy Mathieumidway through the first half.
Sergio Busquets – 7.5/10
Madrid often left him with acres of space in the centre of the park, and you do not leave Sergio Busquets with that kind of space and time. He was at most times the instigator of Barcelona attacks, picking out attackers and setting them off while providing impressive cover for his defensive line.
Sergi Roberto – 7.5/10
Roberto was brilliant in the first half, causing Madrid plenty of problems with his penetrating runs and link-up play with the players ahead of him. One such diagonal surge led to Suarez’s opening goal, as he cut through the Madrid defence to set up the no.9 who finished emphatically. He was guilty of a poor touch while finishing when he skied a couple of shots that he should have at least got on target.
Ivan Rakitic – 6.5/10
Nothing really spectacular from the Croatian, but an efficient game nevertheless, constantly pressing the Madrid midfielders and forcing them into errors. Rakitic and Busquets were essential to Barca’s plan of breaking up play and initiating attacks.
Andres Iniesta – 9/10
When Real Madrid fans give a Barcelona player a standing ovation at the Santiago Bernabeu on being substituted, you know that it was something special. A master-class from one of the greatest midfielders of the generation saved his best for the big game.
He played with absolute confidence on the ball showing off the entire range of his passing skills; from pin point cross field passes, to perfectly timed through balls like the one that set up Neymar for the second goal. He also picked up a goal of his own to round off a beautiful move with a clinical finish. A special performance from a special player.
Neymar Jr. – 8.5/10
His link up play with Jordi Alba ripped Danilo to shreds in the first half, probably prompting Benitez to introduce Carvajal and shift Danilo to the other side. His link-up with the rest of the attack line was no less. He seems to be developing an almost telepathic understanding with Suarez, not to mention that both players are on top form at the moment. He doubled the lead in the first half, before playing an exquisite backheel pass to Iniesta to set him up for the third goal.
Luis Suarez – 8.5/10
Suarez would have most likely got a hat-trick at the Bernabeu if Barca hadn’t taken their foot off the pedal later in the second half. He was unlucky to not be awarded a penalty after being brought down by Ramos in the penalty area.
The Uruguayan was a thorn in the side of Los Blancos, constantly pressing while off the ball, even in the 90th minute, and linking up amazingly well with Neymar, Iniesta and Messi.
Substitutes
Jeremy Mathieu – 6/10
Solid enough after coming on early for Mascherano, but guilty of hacking at the ball without properly clearing it that almost gave Madrid a chance out of a botched cross. He didn’t have much to do, with Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema all seeming to have an off-day, and Busquets provided adequate cover.
Lionel Messi – 7.5/10
Messi returned after a two-month layoff but the game was already wrapped up at 3-0 by the time he came on. His teammates often seemed desperate to try and get him to score, often at the expense of a goal for themselves, but it was not to be.
His vision caused problems for Madrid though, as he sent in defence-splitting passes, notably the brilliant one that put Suarez through, only for his shot to be deflected wide, as well as the pass to Jordi Alba that created the fourth goal. He too had a couple of shots that were deflected wide.
Munir El Haddadi – 5.5/10
Munir failed to convert a couple of easy chances, skying one over the bar from a Neymar pass, and failing to get the next one on target from close range too, while he might have been better off leaving the ball to a waiting Pique who seemed desperate for a goal.
