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In the 3rd game of the season, Barcelona reaffirmed their grip on this year’s title with a resounding 5-0 win over Espanyol. After seeing the reigning champions, Real Madrid, drop points again, Lionel Messi and his teammates decided to pile on the pressure.
Messi opened the scoring with a brace in the first half, this was followed up with another strike in the 66th minute from the Argentinean. Luis Suarez rounded off proceedings in the 90th minute as Valverde's Barcelona team made it three wins out of three.
Here’s how all the players fared in the no contest game at the Nou Camp.
Espanyol
Paul López: 5.5/10
It was always going to be a tough night for the young Spanish keeper. As the last man standing in an under-fire attack, Paul López did all he could to keep Barcelona at bay. Without him in between the sticks, the scoreline could have reached double figures.
Victor Sánchez: 4/10
With no out & out left-winger to mark, Sánchez’s job was literally next to impossible. The right-back had to maintain his positioning whilst overcoming any Barca player that decided to occupy the left flank.
David López: 5.5/10
Not only did the 27-year-old have to deal with the tenacity of Luis Suárez, López had to monitor the central movements of Lionel Messi who had a free role. Messi’s movement led to several 2v1 situations against the CB, which he handled with assuredness.
Mario Hermoso: 4/10
Being constantly overrun is no fun and Mario Hermoso struggled to deal with the intensity of Barcelona. His slowness to adapt to situations cost his CB partner and team dearly.
Aaron Martin: 4/10
When Gerard Deulofeu and Nelson Semedo are running at you all game, it’s almost impossible to keep your composure. Martin couldn’t help but be overrun by the duo as their pace left him stranded in the final third.
Pape Diop: 3/10
Besides a few fouls, Diop was unable to establish any influence on the game. Spending most of your time defending in a midfield four tires you out and the effects could clearly be seen on the 31-year-old.
Javi Fuego: 4.5/10
Tired, frustrated and out of ideas, Fuego struggled all game to keep track of Barcelona’s MF 3. Pressing whilst simultaneously marking players is an impossible job and in the end, Fuego could barely keep up with the tiki-taka passing of Barcelona.
Sergi Darder: 5/10
As a wide man in a packed midfield, Darder spent most of the game tracking back with Nelson Semedo. The Portuguese full-back didn’t stop attacking all game and Darder was faced with no choice but to mark him or risk his team being overloaded down the right flank.
Leo Baptistao: 5.5/10
Baptistao cut a very lonely figure up front as any turnover in possession meant he was the first point of contact. He drew fouls from Umtiti and Busquets in the few times he tried to hold up play, but didn’t possess the skill to translate them into clear-cut chances.
Gerard Moreno: 5/10
Moreno cleverly ensured that any time Espanyol counter attacked he joined up with Baptistao to form a front two. In defence, he chased the shadow of Sergio Busquets all game.
Pablo Piatti: 3/10
Piatti was anonymous in attack as he had next to no effect on the game. On the counter, he struggled to provide meaningful passes and when in possession, Jordi Alba quickly cut him down to size.
Substitutions:
Marc Navarro: 5/10
Navarro was brought on just to vary personnel in defence for Espanyol, but the ease with which they were opened up remained the same.
Didac Vila: N/A
Didac was unable to have any effect on the game whatsoever.
Barcelona
Marc-André ter Stegen: 5/10
The German was relatively untested throughout the game as all he had to do was collect a few crosses.
Nelson Semedo: 6/10
The 23-year-old seems to have acclimatised to life in Spain exceptionally well. He resembles everything Dani Alves used to at the Nou Camp as he stationed himself wide on the right acting as an ever-present passing option for Barcelona.
Gerard Piqué: 6.5/10
The Spanish CB basically played as a deep-lying playmaker against Espanyol, as he felt no need to stay in line with Umtiti. In the end, the Catalan was able to add himself to the scoresheet with a header from a Rakitic corner in 87th minute.
Samuel Umtiti: 5/10
Although Barcelona were relatively untested throughout the game, on the rare occasions Espanyol did venture forward, Umtiti looked shaky. In possession, he was safe and rarely tried to break the lines, but in defence, he looked like a deer in front of headlights.
Jordi Alba: 8/10
As one of the most attacking full-backs in the world, Jordi Alba showed us again why he’s so crucial to Barcelona’s build-up play. The Spaniard bombed up & down the left flank in the absence of a left winger, basically playing the role of two players.
His gung-ho mentality eventually led him to assist Lionel Messi’s 2nd goal in the penalty box. The Spaniard assisted Messi again in the second half, with another clever cut back.
Ivan Rakiti?: 7/10
As the link between midfield and attack, Rakiti? produced a calm & assured performance that kept the flow of possession ticking over. Even through his relaxed nature, the Croatian was still able to pick out an offside Lionel Messi for the game’s opening goal. He later provided a set-piece assist for Gerard Pique, showing his quality from dead-ball situations too.
Sergio Busquets: 6/10
The midfield maestro did all he could to shift the low-block of Espanyol from side to side. As a holding midfielder, Busquets had to be wary of all opposing counter attacks whilst finding the best ways to break down the banks of four.
Andrés Iniesta: 6/10
The Spanish legend tried to facilitate Messi’s free role as much as he could. He also tried to position himself in places where he could quickly produce one-twos with the three forwards.
Lionel Messi: 9/10
The 5-time Ballon d’Or winner once again delivered for the Catalan giants. He was able to find space in between a resolute low-block and score his first in the 26th minute. The Argentinean added to his tally in the 34th minute after a lightning quick counter attack ended with a reverse cross from Jordi Alba.
Lionel Messi was the heartbeat of everything good going forward for the Catalans and nothing progressed without his input. Messi completed a marvellous performance in the 66th minute as he scored the 38th hat trick of his Barcelona career.
Luis Suárez: 5.5/10
The Uruguayan striker tried his best to contribute to Barcelona’s intricate link-up play but nothing would come off for him. He was always involved but rarely on the end of any meaningful chances. The 30-year-old finally got on the scoresheet when débutante Dembele set him up on a plate in the final minutes of the game.
Gerard Deulofeu: 7/10
It’s only a matter of time before Ousmane Dembélé starts games at the Nou Camp, but for now, Deulofeu is a more than capable replacement. The Spaniard is quick, determined and aggressive in both dribbling and pressing. He was a constant presence in the final third and gave Messi an option to link up with.
Substitutions:
Ousmane Dembele: 7/10
In his short cameo, Dembele did his best to give the Nou Camp faithful a glance at his silky skills and daring dribbling. On top of that, he showed the world why he provided 20 assists in the Bundesliga last season as he set up Luis Suarez in the dying minutes to make the scoreline 5-0.
Paulinho: 6.5/10
Brought on just to sure up the midfield, Paulinho silenced some of his critics by being a rock in the middle.
Andre Gomes: N/A
With the game done & dusted, Gomes came on for Andres Iniesta just to maintain the pace of the game.
