Barcelona faced Real Sociedad at the cursed Anoeta stadium where they have failed to win since 2007. The ‘Curse’ of Anoeta will continue for another season as Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad. Their second draw on the trot now sees them drop four points in two games putting them six points off the top. Real Sociedad, on the other hand, move to fifth position on the table.
While the headlines around the world will say that Barcelona were held by Sociedad, it was actually the total opposite as Real Sociedad completely outplayed the Catalans. Barcelona looked absolutely clueless in the first half and were lucky to not concede. Barcelona were better in the second half but they were still not good enough as Real Sociedad were denied a win due to a questionable decision and bad luck.
Here are the player ratings from the game:
Real Sociedad
Geronimo Rulli: 6/10
Rulli was completely untroubled in the first half of the game where Barcelona had only one shot and none on target. In the second half, he made a few easy saves but could do nothing about Messi’s equaliser. He was fairly decent with his distribution and had a pretty good game.
Carlos Martinez: 6/10
The right-back had a great first half going forward and provided fantastic support to his wingers. Defensively, Martinez did a great job to hold his position. However, he was troubled by Neymar on a few occasions. In the second half, he was beaten by Neymar on a few occasions simply because of the Brazillian’s brilliance.
Raul Navas: 7/10
Navas had a solid game as the Real Sociedad centre-back shut Luis Suarez in the game. The defender had what was almost a flawless game. One of his tackles on Lionel Messi in the first half was fantastic. He led the Sociedad defence with calmness, composure and strength.
Inigo Martinez: 7.5/10
Inigo Martinez had a great game in defence after he managed to keep Lionel Messi quiet for a majority of the first half. He was also adventurous as he joined the attack on many occasions but was always back in time to slot back into his position as the centre-back. He had a great partnership with Raul Navas in the game.
Yuri Berchiche: 7/10
The left-back was playing as a second winger throughout the first half and troubled Sergi Roberto throughout the game. His crosses were dangerous but were dealt with by the Barca defence. He was beaten easily on a few occasions in the second half by Sergi Roberto and Denis Suarez.
Xabi Prieto: 7/10
The main man in the midfield, Prieto was always involved in the game. The midfielder found himself pretty deep in the Barcelona half in the first half as Sociedad controlled the game. Despite beating Jordi Alba in the air on two occasions he was unable to guide the ball into the net. He was replaced by Sergio Canales late in the second half.
Illaramendi: 6/10
The former Real Madrid man had a relatively quiet game in comparison to his teammates. However, he did exactly what was expected of him in midfield, winning balls and providing the link between attack and defence. He troubled Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets in the first half but quietened down in the second half.
Zurutuza: 7/10
One of the most underrated roles of the day belonged to Zurutuza as the midfielder completely shut down Barcelona’s enforcer – Sergio Busquets. He was strong in midfield and slotted into defence when his centre-backs went ahead to attack. His foul on Messi late on was a vital one to shut down an important attack for Barcelona.
Carlos Vela: 9/10
Arguably the best player on the pitch was Mexican international Carlos Vela. The former Arsenal player troubled Barcelona’s defence at every opportunity he had and his fantastic positioning was the reason behind Sociedad’s goal. He was extremely unlucky to have hit the woodwork on two occasions during the game and also not get a goal to his name.
Willian Jose: 8/10
The forward was always a big threat to Barcelona and deservingly grabbed a goal after the mess in Barcelona’s defence. His positioning was spot-on and he forced Barca defenders Gerrard Pique and Mascherano to make tackles to keep him out. His quick turns and movement were vital for Real Sociedad's attack.
M. Oyarzabal: 8/10
The forward who scored the winner last year when Barcelona lost at the Anoeta had a fantastic game yet again. He constantly troubled Sergi Roberto and beat the right-back on many occasions to find space to cross the ball into the Barcelona penalty area. His crosses were a constant threat that Barcelona had to deal with. He was substituted in the 85th minute to a deserving standing ovation.
Substitutes
Juanmi: 7/10
After coming on in the last quarter of the game, Juanmi added to Real Sociedad's attack with his quick movement and passing. He was unlucky to have his goal wrongly ruled out by the linesman.
Estaban Granero: 7/10
The former Real Madrid man made his first appearance of the season in the 85th minute and within those five minutes, he managed to have three shots, all of which were not too far away. He looked like a man who wanted to prove a point to his boss.
Sergio Canales: N/A
Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 6/10
The Barcelona goalkeeper was extremely lucky to have conceded only one goal. His distribution was poor as his attempted long passes never reached its intended target. His save of Carlos Vela’s shot before the Sociedad goal was fantastic but he was unlucky to concede.
Sergi Roberto: 5/10
The Barcelona right-back will have to step up the defensive aspect of his game as he was troubled for the whole of the first half by Oyarzabal and Berchiche. He was hesitant to close down and commit to the tackle on many occasions and was also out of position. In the second half, he was very good contributing to the attack but poor defensively again.
Gerrard Pique: 6.5/10
It is not secret that Gerrard Pique has been impeccable in defence for Barcelona this season but this game was, however, his toughest so far. The defender was clearly not 100% fit but battled on to play the whole 90 minutes. He lacked concentration leading to Sociedad’s goal but was very strong to stop the final ball throughout the game.
Javier Mascherano: 6/10
Mascherano had a tough game in defence as he was pressurised by Carlos Vela, Xabi Prieto and Willian Jose throughout the game. He was, however, more creative than Sergio Busquets in the first half despite sitting in defence. Mascherano proved his ability to sit deep and absorb pressure but was skilfully weak on a few occasions.
Jordi Alba: 5/10
The left back had a horrible first half after he was caught well out of position far too often. He was either attacking too deep or was outplayed by Vela and Berchiche throughout the first half. He battled through pain after his injury and was much better in the second half, especially in contributing to the attack.
Ivan Rakitic: 3.5/10
This was a game to forget for the Croatian international who was substituted at the end of the first half. Rakitic has been in poor form recently and showed signs of fatigue. He lacked creativity and looked nothing even remotely close to his best. He will have a lot to do before the Clasico.
Sergio Busquets: 3/10
‘When Sergio Busquets fails, Barcelona fails,’ is a popular phrase in the recent past with many of the pundits and fans. Sergio Busquets was completely clueless in midfield and looked out of his zone throughout the game. He lacked everything he is typically known for i.e., composure, positioning and distribution.
Andre Gomes: 5.5/10
The European Championship ran tirelessly up and down the pitch to help out in both attack and defence. His positioning was good but in terms of skill Andre Gomes was extremely poor. He was shaky when helping out with his defence and took far too long to make up his mind when helping out with the attack.
Neymar: 7.5/10
The Brazillian was easily Barcelona’s best player going forward as he posed a threat to Real Sociedad’s defence every time he picked up the ball on the left flank. He did well to beat Sociedad’s gritty defence and set up Lionel Messi’s equaliser. His free kick was the first shot Barcelona had on target and came close to troubling Rulli.
Luis Suarez: 4/10
Barcelona’s number 9 has been struggling this season despite netting goals regularly. Suarez has been poor in terms of pressing and positioning and it was the same against Sociedad. He was caught offside far too often, something that is considered a sin for a striker of his level.
Lionel Messi: 7/10
Once again, Messi saved Barcelona. The Argentine actually had a pretty poor first half by his standards as he failed to find space, but in the second half he troubled Real Sociedad at every chance he got. He also made a few fantastic tackles.
Substitutes
Denis Suarez: 7/10
Suarez was fantastic after coming on for Barcelona and utilised his chances very well and was unlucky to have his shot cleared on the goal line. What is impressive is that the player refused to go down despite some strong challenges on him.
