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

#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.