Saturday, 29 November 2008
Sevilla 0-3 Barcelona, Player Ratings
SEVILLA
Palop 5.5 - Hard to criticise the 'keeper for any of the goals conceded except maybe the last one when he came racing off his line a bit too quickly.
Mosquera 5.0 - Did a decent enough job down the right going forward but gave Thierry Henry far too much space throughout the match. Lucky that the French striker was not as his best as he could easily have scored a couple with the time he was afforded by Mosquera.
Escude 5.5 - Not a bad game by any means but did back off the Barcelona strikers a little bit too much at times, allowing them too much time to shoot.
Squillaci 6.0 - Like his partner at the back he was solid all match and couldn't be blamed for any of the goals that Barcelona scored.
Navarro 6.0 - Didn't do too much wrong, despite the fact his side conceded three times. Always won the ball in the air and pressured the Barça strikers well when he needed to.
Adriano 7.5 - Until Messi popped up with his late show Adriano was arguably the best player on the pitch for either side. His runs down the wing were the best thing about Sevilla and without him they would have looked totally lifeless.
Maresca 5.5 - Battled hard in midfield but didn't really contribute much going forward and perhaps it was in the centre of the pitch where the match was lost for Sevilla.
Fazio 6.0 - Always put pressure on the ball and made some key tackles to prevent Barcelona from breaking onto the defence. Not a bad performance especially bearing in mind he was thrown in not having playing much.
De Mul 5.0 - Came in to replace Jesus Navas but was taken off early in the second half after failing to contribute anything to the game, shouldn't have started ahead of Capel.
Kanouté 5.0 - Worked hard but was very disappointing. Should have scored late on in the first-half to level the match when he had a chance from about six yards out but hit the bar.
Fabiano 3.0 - Lacklustre performance, capped off by a needless red card when the game was already lost for an elbow on Busquets. Might not have got the breaks tonight but didn't work that hard either and should have done better with some of the opportunities he did have.
Subs
Romaric 5.0 - Like last week he was very poor and it is no wonder that the coach opted to use Fazio in midfield ahead of him to start with.
Capel 5.0 - Probably should have started the game ahead of de Mul but did very little when he came on, except for roll around theatrically on the floor.
Renato 6.0 - No time to influence the game.
BARCELONA
Valdés 6.0 - Didn't have a save to make all game but dealt with the high balls comfortably enough throughout.
Alves 5.5 - Much was said pre-match about his battle with Adriano but there is no doubt the Sevilla man won it hands down. Alves couldn't go forward without him on his tail and at the back he lost out to his Brazilian friend on a few occasions.
Piqué 7.0 - Seems to be getting better and better and played tonight with great strength and determination to see off Kanouté and Fabiano. Made some key tackles and was a rock at the back for Barcelona.
Márquez 6.5 - Like his partner at the back he was strong, assured and for most of the game he was comfortable. Good performance from the Mexican.
Puyol 6.5 - Has been bursting forward in recent weeks but this evening he had to stay back to see of the threat of Adriano and he did reasonably well when called into action.
Xavi 7.0 - A typically solid display from the centre of the pitch which entailed not losing any balls and finding his team-mates whenever he had the chance. Is the heart-beart behind this Barça side and yet again did his work quietly but well.
Touré 6.5 - Like Xavi it was a typical no-nonsense showing from Touré that involved getting the ball and moving it on to team-mates in better positions, did well for his team.
Keita 6.0 - Much was written about his return but he did very little throughout the match and most of the midfield work was done by the other players.
Messi 8.0 - Tough performance to rate from the Argentine because for 60 minutes he did very little for his side. However, when the game became stretched he came to life and scored two brilliant goals. The first was a great half-volley to wrap up the three points and the second was a nice finish from a tight angle. Average 60 minutes or so but a wonderful last half-an-hour featuring some trademark runs.
Eto'o 7.0 - Scored the crucial first goal and what a goal it was. A real instinctive goal typical of Eto'o and whilst he didn't threaten Palop again he did work hard for his side.
Henry 6.5 - Got the ball in space on countless occasions but failed to make real use of it throughout the match. Turned Mosquera inside and out but he should have done more than fire at Palop each time.
Subs
Busquets 6.0 - Didn't do anything with the ball and in fact his only contribution was to be elbowed by Luis Fabiano.
Hleb 6.5 - Had about two touches of the ball in the short time he was on. The first bobbled out of play woefully but the second was a superb pass to set up Messi for the last goal.
Gujdohnsen 6.0 - No time to do anything.
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