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FC Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegan– 8.5/10
The scoreline may suggest otherwise, but Ter Stegan was a busy man all evening. Right from the off when Eibar pushed forward, the German was made to be on his toes and he did an admirable job. And the reward? Another cleansheet!
Sergi Roberto– 7.5/10
Overlapped at the front with his constant run-ins, Roberto put in a good shift from offensively as well as defensively to keep the hosts at arm’s length.
Gerard Pique– 8/10
The maverick defender was kept engaged all evening by a spirited Eibar side who tested the Barcelona defense time and again. Pique, however, stood firm and didn’t put a wrong foot forward even under pressure.
Samuel Umtiti– 8/10
Back into the line-up and back in action, Umtiti looked as graceful as ever and once again forged an obdurate defensive partnership with Pique to frustrate Eibar all night.
Jordi Alba– 8.5/10
The former Valencian was found more in the attack than in the defense, as he made hay going forward and capped off a lively outing with a late strike that sealed a win. But early on in the match, Alba was also responsible for making a crucial intervention when Eibar tried to play Orellana behind Barcelona’s defense and thereby prevented a potential equalizer.
Sergio Busquets– 8/10
As ever, Busquets stemmed every attack engineered by the visitors whilst also keeping the juices flowing through the midfield as Eibar threatened to take control of the game. He was also a protective cover to the back four and denied the hosts any luck with the net.
Ivan Rakitic– 7/10
Relatively quiet in the attack, the Croat had an off-day going forward. He did, however, make incisive passes forward to maintain the tempo in Barcelona’s movements.
Andres Iniesta– 7.5/10
He was curiously started ahead of Coutinho despite the all-important Champions League clash with Chelsea looming, but Iniesta came out safely and unscathed. He also linked-up well with Messi in picking out spaces in Eibar’s defense and was subbed off just minutes after the hour.
Paulinho– 6.5/10
Having replaced Paco Alcacer in the starting XI, Paulinho didn’t have the best of the outings. The Brazilian appeared laboured in his movements and was powerless with the header he attempted early on. The home side swarmed around him everytime he was in possession, and Ernesto Valverde put him out of his misery with 15 minutes remaining.
Luis Suarez– 8.5/10
The Uruguayan was once again the primary source of Barcelona’s target and opened the scorings by nonchalantly rounding off the keeper before tapping the ball into an empty net for an easy finish. He also tried setting up Messi and Paulinho while going forward but was rendered unfruitful.
Lionel Messi– 8.5/10
The Argentine ace had an uncharacteristic stinker when it came to his endeavours in finding the net himself against a side he loves scoring. However, that didn’t prevent him from influencing the game as it was his initial effort at Dmitrovic that allowed Alba to connect in the rebound while also laid a defense-splitting pass for Suarez for the opener, thereby having a hand in both of Barcelona’s goals.
