Barcelona 2-1 Deportivo Alaves: Player Ratings

Final score: Barcelona 2-1 Deportivo Alaves

Goalscorers: John Guidetti 23' (Deportivo Alaves), Luis Suarez 72' (Barcelona), Lionel Messi 84' (Barcelona)

FC Barcelona hosted Deportivo Alaves as they looked to further consolidate their lead in the standings. The first half was a cagey affair with both the teams trying to go one up over the other, with Barcelona being the more dominant side. The first break of the match, however, was grabbed by Alaves, following a fine counter-attack.

Initially, the second half was quite similar to the first, as Alaves defended deep and in numbers with occasional dangerous inroads into Barcelona's penalty area. Barcelona's efforts finally paid off when Andres Iniesta teed up Luis Suarez for the equalizer.

Leo Messi then went on to score from a freekick late in the game to hand FC Barcelona all three points.

On that note, let's take a look at how the players fared for their respective teams:

Deportivo Alaves

Fernando Pacheco: 8/10

Quite an amazing outing just like his opposite number. Quick off his lines, it was him who stood firm and almost stopped Barca from an easy victory. Pulled a couple of saves including a fantastic stop off Messi's freekick in the first half.

Alexis Ruano: 7/10

The full-back had a pretty solid game for his team. He did not allow anyone on his inside, neither did he allow Lucas Digne to flourish on the overlap. Attacking, he did not venture up much, but who can demand more after such a solid showing at the back.

Victor Laguardia: 8/10

The centre-back, like his defensive partners, was always alert to the dangers the Barcelona players posed to his goal and was ever-ready to deal with them. He never gave an inch of space to anyone in and around the penalty box.

Guillermo Maripan: 8/10

Maripan put in a good performance as he was constantly in the way of Luis Suarez and company, keeping them at bay for the majority of the game. He made a string of important interceptions and tackles to keep Alaves in the game.

Ruben Duarte: 6/10

Duarte defended his team's left flank quite diligently. He was tentative and always ready to go into a tackle. However, he quite often overwhelmed by the overlapping Messi and Roberto combo later in the game.

Hernan Perez: 6/10

Playing as a right-winger on the night, his attacking input during his time on the pitch was next to nothing. However, he more than made up for it by tracking back and covering the runs of Lucas Digne and, later in the game, of Jordi Alba.

Alvaro Medran: 6.5/10

Medran had a decent game. Though he was not much influential in the first half, he came out on top in the midfield battle against Barca’s midfield during the final 45 minutes. His distribution was efficient, if not eye-catching.

Mubarak Wakaso: 6/10

The defensive midfielder was quite combative in the middle of the park. He screened his defence well and never did shy away from a tackle despite an apparent gulf in quality. However, he was a bit too reckless at times and could have received a second yellow on a different day with a different referee.

Ibai Gomez: 5/10

The former Athletic Bilbao man, who once played under Valverde, was anonymous. Playing on the left, he could not trouble Nelson Semedo or Sergi Roberto much. He also missed two glorious opportunities of extending his teams lead, one in each half.

John Guidetti: 8/10

Guidetti was absolutely phenomenal. He was at the centre of anything good that came for Alaves in the attack. His finish for the goal was amazing apart from the fact that he was the instigator for most of his sides counter attacks.

Ruben Sobrino: 6/10

Sobrino worked hard and tirelessly, but could not get better of Gerard Pique or Samuel Umtiti. His decision making was quite erratic and he never could get into any decent attacking positions or deliver a decent final ball.

Substitutes:

Alfonso Pedraza: 6/10

He was brought on for Perez with about thirty minutes left to play. He didn't contribute much to attack. However, he tracked back often and helped out his defence.

Munir El Haddadi: 5.5/10

He was brought on for the excellent John Guidetti, but could not quite continue his senior partner's good work. He did not see much of the ball in the time he was afforded on the pitch.

Ermedin Demirovic: N/A

Came on in a very late substitution in the 89th minute, and did not have enough time to influence the game.

Barcelona

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 7.5/10

ter Stegen was a solid presence at the back. He was called into action quite often and did well on all occasions. He made excellent stops throughout the match to keep his team in the game.

Nelson Semedo: 7/10

The full-back had a pretty solid game for his team. He did not allow anyone on his inside, neither did he allow Ibai Gomez to flourish on the left-hand side. Attacking, he did not venture up much, which is certainly not enough at a club of FC Barcelona's stature.

Gerard Pique: 7/10

Pique had a good game as he dominated and won everything that came his way in the air. He won headers, made blocks and clearances and was a calm head in the heart of the Barca defence. However, he was initially troubled quite a bit by Alaves forwards' movements, but he was a lot more solid as the game progressed.

Samuel Umtiti: 5.5/10

The France international put in a sub-par performance at the heart of the defence. He did not shy away from challenges and played the ball out well but was often all over the place when dealing with Guidetti's movements and physicality. He was also caught upfront, out of position, for Alaves' goal.

Lucas Digne: 7/10

He did fairly well against Hernan Perez and defended well in general and was probably one of the better Barcelona defenders of the night. Offensively, he was decent but not quite on the level Jordi Alba has been on throughout the season.

Paulinho: 6/10

He had a bright start to the game and was involved in the buildups during the first half. However, he faded as the match went on. He did not offer himself much to his teammates when in possession but was a hard worker off it.

Ivan Rakitic: 7.5/10

The Croatian International was influential throughout the game. He broke plays and started attacks from his own half. This was a good commanding display from him in the middle of the park.

Philippe Coutinho: 6.5/10

Decent performance from the former Liverpool midfield virtuoso. He was tidy in possession but never much of a threat, though he was played out of position on the right-hand side. He won back the ball quite a few number of times though.

Andres Iniesta: 8/10

The World Cup winner looked sharp and dictated things for Barcelona from the midfield. His turns and touches were delightful to watch and suggest that he may have a few years worth of top-level football in his tank. Notably, he set up Luis Suarez for Barcelona's equalizer.

Lionel Messi: 7/10

The diminutive Argentine had a poor game by his standards. He was marked out of the game and was quickly crowded when on the ball. His influence did grow in the second half as he went on to score Barcelona's winner from a superb freekick.

Luis Suarez: 7/10

The old Luisito is back. Took his goal with a fine finish into Pacheco's far post. He worked hard all night and never shied away from running beyond the last man despite being crowded out and marked heavily all night long.

Substitutes:

Jordi Alba: 7/10

He was brought on in the second half for Lucas Digne. His introduction meant Barcelona immediately looked way more threatening.

Sergi Roberto: 6/10

Just like Jordi Alba, his introduction meant that Barcelona were far more threatening in the attack as compared to the first half. However, a few silly mistakes here and there defensively could have turned into a disaster for him.

Paco Alcacer: 5.5/10

Was brought on for Philippe Coutinho in the 66th minute, but his return from injury was not quite influential. His only major contribution in the game was winning the freekick off which Leo Messi scored the winner.