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For Ernesto Valverde, the game against Athletic Bilbao on Friday represented a chance to set a marker for the new season. The Spaniard failed to live up to the expectations last season, as Barcelona crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in extraordinary fashion in the semi-final stage.
The Catalans also lost in the final of the Copa del Rey, which left the LaLiga giants with just the league title at the end of the season. Valverde knew that a failure to improve would most certainly cost him his job.
The Catalans had been impressive in pre-season, with new man Frenkie de Jong looking right at home in the midfield. Valverde's other summer signing, Antoine Griezmann, had a slow start to life at the Camp Nou. However, the Spaniard named both of his new signings in his first eleven on the night.
He opted for Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal, with a back four of Nelson Semedo, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, and Jordi Alba. In midfield, Valverde put Frenkie de Jong alongside Carles Alena and Sergi Roberto, while in attack, Antoine Griezmann was selected alongside Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.
Barcelona were very poor from the start, even though Suarez did hit the post in the first half before he picked up an injury and had to be withdrawn. The first half ended 0-0. The Catalans improved in the second half but struggled to score a goal. They were undone in the dying minutes of the game when Aritz Aduriz scored in spectacular fashion to give Athletic Bilbao all 3 points.
Ernesto Valverde's team failed to show up in the first game of the season, but these 5 men were especially poor on the night.
#5 Sergi Roberto
The versatile Spaniard had been a key feature in Ernesto Valverde's team last season, as he was used both at right-back and in central midfield to good effect. Sergi Roberto was stationed in a central midfield role alongside new boy Frankie de Jong against Athletic Bilbao, as Valverde hoped to have enough ammunition in the midfield to dictate the game.
However, the Spanish midfielder failed to have an impact on the night, as Barcelona were undone by the constant pressing from the opposition.
Sergi Roberto's inefficiency in the midfield prompted Valverde to bring in Ivan Rakitic after the break. The Croatian immediately took over the reins of the midfield, while Sergi Roberto was pushed forward. The Spaniard failed to improve and was ultimately substituted in the 76th minute.
#4 Nelson Semedo
Nelson Semedo is pushing for a permanent place in the team this season ahead of Sergi Roberto, who has been Valverde's first choice the right-back role. The defender's tenacity in defence and eagerness to attack makes him very effective in Barcelona’s system. Against Athletic Bilbao, he had the opportunity to showcase his skills to the manager and stake his claim for a first-team place. Sadly, he had a night to forget.
Semedo was easily overrun at the back in the first half and also failed to have an impact in the final third. He seemed a little off the pace and struggled to provide the width on the right flank.
The Portuguese international had shown signs of a growing partnership with Ousmane Dembele on the right-wing in pre-season, but against Bilbao, Semedo failed to combine with the Frenchman as well. He did improve in the second half, but it was all too little too late.
#3 Jordi Alba
The Spaniard was one of the best left-backs in the world last season, but there were areas of his game that still needed improvements. Jordi Alba can be extremely good on his day but has been known to go missing in games on a few occasions. However, there’s no doubt that he is an integral part of the Barcelona style of play and his partnership with Lionel Messi can break open even the meanest of defences.
Against Athletic Bilbao, though, Jordi Alba struggled to come to terms with the absence of his talismanic skipper. Alba was ineffective down the left flank and his performance on the night left a lot to be desired.
The Spaniard failed to strike an understanding with Antoine Griezmann and was mostly toothless in the final third. As a result, Barcelona lacked an added dimension in their attack and failed to create too many opportunities. Alba's defending was equally poor, as the opposition regularly ran past him and created chances down the left of Barcelona's defence.
#2 Ousmane Dembele
The Frenchman was initially brought to the Camp Nou to replace Neymar. While it was a tough job to live up to, Ousmane Dembele had all the ingredients to succeed at Barcelona. Sadly, he has failed to live up to the expectations so far. The Frenchman's inconsistency on the field, along with his lingering injuries, have hurt his chances at the Camp Nou. On Friday too, he failed to impress once again.
Dembele tried to combine with Nelson Semedo on the wings but failed to break down the opposition. He even drifted inside to play alongside Griezmann in attack but that did not work either.
The Frenchman had looked sharp in preseason, but against Athletic Bilbao, Dembele had a night to forget. It could have been worse in the first half when his crazy back pass saw the ball go straight to Inaki Williams. The Spaniard's attempt was brilliantly saved by ter Stegen to keep the Catalans in the game.
The Frenchman did improve in the second half, however, it was not enough to secure Barcelona a positive result.
#1 Antoine Griezmann
After his long-awaited move to Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann was selected for his first competitive start for Barcelona in the LaLiga on Friday. The Frenchman had looked a little off the pace in preseason, but there's no denying his quality, which was already proven in Spain. With Lionel Messi still recovering from injury, it was up to Griezmann to inspire the team on his debut.
The Frenchman started in the wide left position and had very little contribution to the game in the first half. His indecisiveness also affected the players around him, most notably Jordi Alba, who looked lost in attack. The Frenchman moved on to a more central position in attack after the withdrawal of Luis Suarez due to injury, but it hardly had any effect in the first half.
As Barcelona improved after the break, Griezmann looked better, however, he was still wasteful in front of goal. The Frenchman failed to register a single shot on target and was perhaps the poorest player on the pitch.
