Opinion: Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona - 5 players who were responsible for the Catalans' defeat

In what was a less than ideal start to their LaLiga title defense, Barcelona fell to a 1-0 defeat at the San Mames to Athletic Bilbao.

The home side had maximum support, with their stadium full to the rafters, and a spectacular acrobatic finish by Aritz Aduriz with his first touch in the dying embers of the game was enough to settle matters and hand all three points to the Basque club.

Barcelona were lacking the services of talisman Lionel Messi who is battling with a calf injury, while they also lost the services of Luis Suarez in the first half, and were truly atrocious for the entirety of the 90 minutes, with their defeat a just result considering how poorly they played.

Having spent over €200m during the transfer window to augment what was an already strong squad, Barcelona had a multiple of proven performers on display against Athletic Bilbao but in jarring scenes, most of them failed to pull their weight.

There were only a handful of Blaugrana players who showed signs of their ability, while the rest massively underperformed.

While most of the players had a subpar game and qualify to be on the list, but this article shall be limiting it to the top 5.

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#5 Carlos Alena

Alena was hauled off at half-time

Carles Alena was handed a rare start for Barcelona, when he was thrust on from the onset against Athletic Bilbao.

The 21-year-old is a La Masia trained midfielder upon whom much is expected, and he played alongside Sergi Roberto and Frenkie de Jong.

However, in scenes which are not normally associated with Barcelona, the Catalans found themselves overrun in midfield, as Unai Garcia and Dani Lopez totally dominated proceedings through the middle.

Carles Alena totally failed to pull his weight, and it therefore came as not much of a surprise when he was hauled off at half-time for Ivan Rakitic, with Barcelona gaining a stronger hold in the middle upon the introduction of the Croatian.

Ernesto Valverde has an abundance of options to choose from in midfield, and with Carles Alena yet to truly cement his stake in the team, he would be highly disappointed with his display against Athletic Bilbao.

#4 Nelson Semedo

Semedo failed to track Aduriz for his goal

With Sergi Roberto deployed in midfield, Portuguese international Nelson Semedo found himself occupying the right-back role, but despite playing for the entirety of the 90 minutes, the 25-year-old failed to pull his weights, and was one of a number of players who underwhelmed.

Semedo was totally run ragged by Iker Muniain in the first half, with the Athletic Bilbao winger getting in behind him to play in Inaki Williams on numerous occasions, while he also offered next to nothing to Barcelona's attacking output.

He was at fault for the goal conceded by Barcelona, as he failed to get close enough to Aritz Aduriz prior to the 38-year-old scoring with a spectacular finish.

On his day, the former Benfica man is an efficient defender, with his defensive solidity and relatively effective runs forward proving useful to the Barcelona cause.

However, against Athletic Bilbao, Nelson Semedo was beneath his usual standards, and moving ahead, he would need to do much better.

#3 Gerard Pique

Pique was run ragged by Inaki Williams

In the absence of Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique was handed the Barcelona captain armband, but the 32-year-old failed to lead by example.

In a first half which was totally dominated by Athletic Bilbao, the 32-year-old was found wanting on a number of occasions, failing to effectively marshal the Barcelona backline, with Inaki Williams having a field day against the former Manchester United man.

The ex-Spanish international failed to properly track the 25-year-old, and Barcelona would have found themselves behind on numerous occasions int he first half but for impressive goalkeeping by Marc Andre ter Stegen.

In fairness to Gerard Pique, he was not the only Barcelona defender who was found wanting especially in the first half, but majority of the blame would be placed on his feet, as he failed in his duties as both the most experienced player in the Blaugrana backline and captain on the night.

#2 Frenkie de Jong

FC Barcelona v Arsenal - Pre-Season Friendly

Frenkie de Jong was Barcelona's standout player during preseason, with the 22-year-old earning rave reviews in every single game played by the Catalans, and fans would have been excited to finally see him don the colours of Barcelona in competitive action.

However, the former Ajax man looked a shadow of the player he was during preseason, failing to impose his will on the match or dictate proceedings through the middle.

The Ballon d'Or nominee was started at the base of midfield in Sergio Busquet's stead, but there was no composed efficiency in ball distribution which was a hallmark of his game during preseason, while he particularly struggled against the high pressing deployed by Athletic Bilbao, with Raul Garcia winning the ball off him on a number of occasions.

Frenkie de Jong saw his output improve somewhat in the second half upon the introduction of Ivan Rkitic, but generally, it was a subdued performance by the Dutch international and fans would expect improved displays from the man expected to lead their midfield for at least the next decade.

#1 Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann had a poor debut

As far as competitive debuts go, this was largely a forgettable one for Antoine Griezmann, as the 28-year-old was a relative spectator for the entire 90 minutes.

The French international had a subdued preseason campaign, only scoring in the final match against Napoli despite appearing in all five fixtures, but if that goal last week was expected to boost his confidence, the signs were not there, as Griezmann failed to make a mark on the game.

There was no single shot on target from him across the 90 minutes, while his only meaningful contribution in the game was a miscontrolled ball which fell fortuitously to Ivan Rakiitic for the midfielder to blast over.

Given the amount expended to get him and the injuries of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Barcelona's goalscoring mantle is firmly upon Griezmann's shoulders, but he would need to step up significantly from what he displayed against Athletic Bilbao if he is to lead the line effectively.