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A resounding error by Neto gave Alavés a first goal that Griezmann canceled. Messi burst into the tunnel after Alavés thwarted Koeman’s side.
Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona drew 1-1 at Mendizorrotza A determined Alava was reduced to 10 men when Jota saw red in the second half. Despite collecting 25 shots, the visitors could not break Alavés resistance with goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco in excellent form for the locals. Starting with Leo Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembélé, the Barça coach made three changes at half-time, bringing in Miralem Pjanic, Pedri and Francisco Trincão in an effort to break Pablo Machín’s solid game plan.
So it was for the Barça players in Vitoria.
Grandchild. After an excellent start to the season, the Brazilian made a terrible mistake in handing the goal to Alavés, entangling the ball in his feet from a pass from Gerard Piqué backwards to allow Luis Rioja to sneak in and get on goal.
Sergi Roberto. He was under the cosh in the first half with Alavés regularly breaking his flank. After the break he got more involved and placed a couple of search crosses in a battle display.
Gerard Piqué. Neto did him no favors with a soft pass backwards after a series of Barça errors on the eve of the goal. He tried to make amends with a foray into the area later, but he deflected his shot quite wide.
Clement Lenglet. A surprise substitution at halftime when Koeman rolled the dice. He had had a decent first half with the ball at his feet, a great pass for Ansu as a climax, but suffered when asked to match Alavés’ pace breaks.
Jordi Sunrise. Lazy in possession in the first half, losing several passes, like Busquets, it seems that he loses when he has to play in successive games. His innate connection with Messi, one of Barça’s safes in recent years, seems to have disappeared.
Sergio Busquets. The defensive midfielder was unwell at all times as the backlog of games caught up. Without him in his prime, the team lacks rhythm. He was too heavy on possession and blew a decent chance in the area by wavering when he was ready to shoot. Pjanic gave the team a different boost.
Frenkie de Jong. He was better at acting as an impromptu defender than a midfielder, although he managed to advance into some decent attacking positions in the first half and had a decent penalty yell that was dismissed as he entered the area. He has driven Barça in the second half and is improving with more games under his belt.
Ousmane Dembélé. You never really know what Dembélé is going to do when he receives the ball, but most of the time he ends up in a dead end. Out of space, you make too many mistakes. He has the ability to throw defenders off balance, but he rarely chooses the correct final option.
Antoine Griezmann. Less active than against Juventus and he is missing too many decent opportunities. However, their draw was well taken. He needs to get more involved with the ball, but is still useful to open space for his teammates. At least he ended his sterile streak in LaLiga and offered a focal point for attack while showing the right attitude for a match like this.
Ansu Fati. Off the beat compared to recent games, missing an opportunity early on that he would normally have buried. He still has a tendency to make mistakes after getting into a good position but he is still one of Barça’s best players at the moment and the excellent Pacheco denied him a birthday goal.
Leo Messi. Against a brick wall in every way. The Argentine is not in shape and his first touch as well as his aim have left him. He used to win these kinds of games with one leg and now the whole team is in pain as he struggles to rediscover his spark. He’s still the best player on the field, but he currently lacks that ability to turn a game with a moment of magic. His free throws are not threatening and he is turning the ball far too often in front of goal, where he would normally skip challenges.
Substitutes
Miralem Pjanic. He offered much more than Busquets. Barça showed much more dynamism after his introduction at halftime. He tried Pacheco with decent effort but he’s a bit too lax when playing the ball backwards, leading to some dangerous mistakes. If you can fix that problem, it won’t be able to be removed soon.
Francisco Trincão. Willing, but without final product. He moved too far back and did not stretch the game as he did against Ferencváros. You need to look up and take stock of the entire field, not just the five meters in front of you.
Sergiño Dest. The American international has a lot of energy and likes to get ahead, which is useful for an aging team, but still tends to make the wrong decision. He and Will can get better with time on your side.
Pedri. Barça, which was already shaping up to be a safe starter, was much more consistent after his entry. He moves the ball in style and can choose a pass that few see. However, you need to trust your instincts and take occasional shots in addition to playing your natural game.
Martin Braithwaite. If you want to score the decisive goal from the bench, you have to start paying more attention to the offside trap. His role at Barcelona is to solve matches like this with a direct forward game but he was anonymous.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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