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Barcelona drew 1-1 with Sevilla at Camp Nou on Sunday as they finished their 100 percent start to the new La Liga season.
Luuk de Jong put Sevilla ahead in the eighth minute, but Barça leveled two minutes later when Philippe Coutinho scored his first goal of the campaign.
Sevilla nearly won it when Barça defender Ronald Araujo hit his own crossbar, while Francisco Trincao wasted one last chance for the hosts before Lionel Messi had a rejected penalty appeal.
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Positive
Araujo, 21, replaced the suspended Clement Lenglet and was the best Barça player of the night. The defender, who this week received his first international call-up with Uruguay, showed that he is more than ready to play at this level when necessary.
Negative
After starting the season with two wins and two clean sheets, Ronald Koeman’s Barça conceded a goal and lost points for the first time since the Dutchman’s appointment, certainly against a very good Sevilla.
The analysis for the first international break should be generally positive, but the draw with Sevilla showed that there is still a lot of work to be done. Barça looked a bit toothless in attack and a bit tired with the ball.
Manager rating out of 10
6 – Koeman made bold changes, bringing in young Pedri and Trincao, but he didn’t change a lineup that was clearly not working. He also sent a message to the club that he still wants a new striker by not bringing in Martin Braithwaite and not even having Ousmane Dembele warm up. The Frenchman’s departure is the key to raising money to sign a No. 9 before Monday’s deadline.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players submitted after 70 minutes are not rated)
Net GK, 6 – He took a hand to De Jong’s goal, but was hit with real force. He didn’t look comfortable on the ball and his former teammate Ivan Rakitic almost caught him passing out from behind.
DF Sergi Roberto, 5 – Again, he is not active enough in attack. He did some good runs but was not picked and when he was picked he was not effective with the ball.
DF Ronald Araujo, 8 – A guaranteed performance in a difficult match. He showed that he can be counted on when Lenglet or Piqué are not available.
DF Gerard Piqué, 7 – He kept calm under the intense pressure from Sevilla and was good in the air under the threat of De Jong.
DF Jordi Alba, 6 – A good run down the left helped create Coutinho’s goal. He was up and down the left flank until he was forced to come out with an injury in the second half.
MF Sergio Busquets, 6 – He had a slow start to the season, but at times he faced Sevilla. This was his best performance since Koeman was named, but he got very tired after three games in a week.
MF Frenkie de Jong, 6 – He took a couple of steps back after a good start to the campaign. He distributed the ball in dangerous areas.
FW Antoine Griezmann, 5 – His touch consistently disappointed him when the ball was presented to him in good positions. Removed after an hour.
DEL Philippe Coutino, 7 – He scored a good goal and continued to show his importance in Barça’s attack after his return from Bayern Munich.
FW Ansu Fati, 6 – The star of the show against Villarreal and Celta de Vigo had a calmer evening here. He worked a couple of starts but couldn’t really disturb the goalkeeper.
DEL Lionel Messi, 6 – Barca’s main threat sent a deflected shot in the first half after producing a good pass in preparation for Coutinho’s goal. He appealed for a late penalty but the VAR said no.
Substitutions
FW Pedri, 5 – A couple of good races but without being able to influence the game. Even though I’m only 17 years old.
DEL Francisco Trincao, 6 – Barça’s threat on the right improved, which didn’t exist until he entered, but he missed a good opportunity to score the points.
MF Miralem Pjanic, N / R – He was late but he looked good with the ball.
DF Sergino Dest, N / R – The American international replaced Alba on the left back for his Barça debut. It created an opportunity for Messi, that the Argentine went wide.
