Valencia 2-0 Barcelona: Barcelona Player Ratings

By definition, optimism is an inherently positive emotion. Quique Setien's appointment as Barcelona's new manager was accompanied by rays of hope for fans of the Catalan club, but the sun seems to have set rather prematurely on Setien's honeymoon period with the club.

Barcelona scraped past minnows Ibiza in the Copa del Rey earlier in the week, with Antoine Griezmann stepping up with two well-taken goals. A La Liga match against Valencia at the Mestalla was always going to be a tricky fixture, but there was hope that the team's experienced superstars would step up to a rather steep task. They failed spectacularly.

The home side reigstered a stunning 2-0 victory, as a second half double from Maxi Gomez doomed Setien to his first defeat at the helm of the Catalan giants.

Valencia threw Barcelona a string of guillotines in a first half that miraculously ended 0-0. The Catalan club dominated possession but failed to create any chances of note in the first half. Valencia, on the other hand, looked like a group whose sole purpose on the pitch was to torment the Blaugrana. They created a multitude of chances, particularly in the first half.

Their efforts bore fruit early in the second half as a Gomez shot took a monstrous deflection off Jordi Alba to sail into the goal. Valencia's second goal required no such good fortune, as the Uruguayan stepped up yet again to calmly curve the ball into the far post and hammer a very painful nail in Barcelona's coffin.

For a team that has been renowned over the past decade for playing an attractive brand of football, the Catalan side's showing was nothing short of ruinous. While some attacking moves did catch the eye, the Blaugrana were severely blunt in the final third. It was evident after the game against Granada that Setien had a lot of work to do with this team, but a shambolic performance sets off several alarm bells.

Much unlike today's hapless Barcelona team, let us not beat around the bush any further and take a look at how the players fared.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 8.5/10

The German shot-stopper is the only Barcelona player to emerge from this match with any modicum of respect. On most other days against most goalkeepers in the world, Valencia would have been 3 goals to the good at the end of the first half. Ter Stegen's penalty save was only the tip of an iceberg of fantastic saves in the first half. He was completely blameless for both the goals in the second half.

Gerard Pique - 3/10

Barcelona's most experienced defender was arguably the poorest player on the pitch. Gerard Pique was abysmal in the first half and was pulled out of position several times by Valencia's forward line. The Catalan was lucky to remain on the pitch after his nightmare of a challenge on Jose Gaya and had several irresponsible moments.

Samuel Umtiti - 5.5/10

The Frenchman was better than his partner in the heart of the defense and made a few crucial interceptions in the second half. That being said, Umtiti was beaten all ends up in the build-up to Valencia's second goal was far too erratic with some of his decision-making. The center-back will need to improve several aspects of his game to cement his place in the Blaugrana's starting eleven.

Sergi Roberto - 4/10

Sergi Roberto shifted between right-back and a third center-back with regularity, and the experiment failed miserably. Roberto seemed a confused soul for most of the game and gave the ball way in a dangerous position mere minutes after being dragged horribly out of position for the second goal. He also seemed unaware of the role in the new system and was occasionally a positional detriment to several of his teammates.

Jordi Alba - 4.5/10

While pinning the blame solely on Jordi Alba for his own goal would be unfair, the Spaniard did himself no favors with this performance. The left-back found himself in Valencia's half more often than not but struggled to track back and left his teammates in defense in the lurch for most of the match. He offered next to nothing in possession, and it was crystal clear that Valencia's defenders and wingers knew exactly what he was attempting with his crosses

Sergio Busquets - 6/10

Sergio Busquets was arguably one of the better players in Barcelona's midfield and was largely responsible for Barcelona having 73% of the possession. However, the veteran midfielder was unable to create any sort of impact further up the pitch and was harried by the impressive Geoffrey Kondogbia.

Arthur Melo - 4.5/10

Nobody expected Arthur Melo to be back to his best immediately after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but the Brazilian was virtually invisible against Valencia and did not have an ounce of influence on the match. He was replaced with Arturo Vidal in the 56th minute, and Barcelona instantly clicked into gear.

Frenkie de Jong - 5.5/10

The Dutchman was marginally better than his central midfield partner and displayed a few good touches. However, de Jong found himself being pushed to the right flank quite regularly and played in a highly advanced role towards the end of the fixture. Neither of these roles seemed to suit the midfielder, and a string of uncharacteristically misplaced passes and miscommunications further proved that there still is something amiss with the Barcelona edition of Frenkie de Jong.

Ansu Fati - 4/10

The 17-year-old seemed to have put forth a genuine claim for a spot in the starting eleven over the past few weeks, but his performance against Valencia was woeful. The youngster found himself in Jose Gaya's pocket for most of the match and was unable to complete a single successful dribble. His only noticeable contribution over 90 minutes was a one-two with Lionel Messi that nearly resulted in a goal. With Ousmane Dembele returning to full fitness over the next few weeks, Ansu Fati's tryst with the first team may hit a temporary roadblock.

Antoine Griezmann 5/10

All 5 of the rating points that Antoine Griezmann has been given are purely in recognition of his defensive ability. The Frenchman was nowhere to be soon in the final third, and might as well have exchanged positions with Jordi Alba. His first touch was far too heavy in Valencia's packed penalty area and was isolated for a majority of the match.

Lionel Messi - 5.5/10

Barcelona have far too often relied on the Argentine genius to drag the side out of jail in crucial matches such as these, but Valencia seemed more than happy to show that such a system is deeply flawed. Francis Coquelin did an impressive job marking Lionel Messi, and the little maestro saw very little of the ball in the first half. Messi grew into the game in the second half but was unable to make his shots count and had a forgettable performance overall.

Substitutes:

Arturo Vidal - 7.5/10

The Chilean was a breath of fresh air in the second half and added much-needed tenacity to Barcelona's play in the second half. Vidal combined well with Messi and his frequent forays into Valencia's box gave Los Che several headaches. Barcelona may have been unsuccessful today, but Vidal continues to prove his worth to the club.

Valencia 2-0 Barcelona: Barcelona Player Ratings | La Liga 2019-20