Frenkie de Jong saw red as ten men Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by minnows Cadiz on Thursday night, making it three games without a win.
Pressured continued to mount on Ronald Koeman has his Barcelona side were held to a 0-0 draw by Cadiz at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Thursday in the 2021/22 La Liga. Coming into the game on the back of disappointing results against Bayern Munich and Granada, the Catalans were desperate for a win. And they dominated possession for large stretches but failed to make the most of it in the first half.
After a rather drab first half, the game somewhat opened up after the break with Alvaro Negredo forcing a save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen while Memphis Depay missed a great chance at the other end. Just when it felt like Barcelona were on the ascendancy, they had the wind knocked out of their sales as Frenkie de Jong saw two yellow cards in four minutes to get sent off, leaving his team at a disadvantage.
Cadiz tried to make the most of the boost and pressed in search of a winning goal but ter Stegen made a couple of key stops to keep Barcelona in the contest. At the other end, Depay had another fine chance to win it for his side, but fluffed his lines as the Catalans settled for just a point. They are now three games without a win in all competitions, with Koeman starting to feel the heat big time.
The result means that the Blaugrana have dropped six points from their first five La Liga outings and are seven points below leaders Real Madrid, albeit with a game in hand. Here are our player ratings for the Barcelona stars after yet another disappointing outing.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 7/10
? – Negredo close to opening the score but Ter Stegen with a GREAT save! pic.twitter.com/Yz4P8aLtxB
— ??? ???? ? (@TheEuropeanLad) September 23, 2021
Had literally nothing to do in terms of save-making in the first period as Cadiz hardly threatened. Did well to tip Negredo’s effort away early in the second half and then pulled off a fine save to deny Salvi Sanchez late on to keep Barcelona in the game. Made a decent stop deep in stoppage time from Tomas Alarcon.
Oscar Mingueza: 6/10
Starting at right-back, the Barcelona academy graduate provided defensive solidity and assurance on his side. Tried to get forward but one can tell that he is not a natural in the role, which hampered him from making a telling contribution.
Gerard Pique: 6/10
Reinstated to the starting XI, the veteran defender did not have much to do in the first period with Cadiz not posing much of a threat. Dealt well with Negredo for the most part in what was an intriguing duel.
Ronald Araujo: 7/10
Continued from where he left off in the last game against Granada. Aggressive in his defending as always, constantly trying to win back possession and was not afraid to get forward with the ball either. Has certainly established himself as a permanent fixture in the side based on form.
Sergino Dest: 5/10
Given the nod at left-back owing to the absence of a natural player in the position, the USMNT star showed good drive and purpose but was not able to back that up with the desired end product. Also had his fair share of issues at the back against Antonio Jimenez in the first half. Still not convincing.
Frenkie de Jong: 5/10
61’—First yellow card
65’—Second yellow cardFrenkie de Jong is sent off after picking up two yellows in a four-minute span with Barcelona still drawing 0-0 at Cadiz ? pic.twitter.com/QsY65QXGNP
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 23, 2021
Took up more advanced positions than usual in the first period to try and influence things in the final third but wasn’t able to do so. More of the same followed after the break before he picked up two bookings in the space of four minutes to leave his team short a member for the final half an hour. The second booking, however, was a tad bit harsh.
Sergio Busquets: 5/10
Another game where the Barcelona captain looked well below his best. Uncharacteristically, kept giving the ball away especially in the first half. And even though he tightened things up with time, lacked that bit of imagination and incision to break open the hosts’ defence. Booked late on.
Gavi: 7/10
Thoughts on Gavi's full debut in an @FCBarcelona shirt? ?#CadizBarça pic.twitter.com/wrmeXOHQaX
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) September 23, 2021
Making his first La Liga start, the 17-year-old showed that the future is bright for Barcelona with a composed and mature display in the middle of the park. Used the ball with great intelligence, hardly misplacing any passes and even tried to open up the Cadiz defence, but wasn’t helped by a toothless attacking unit. Bright.
Yusuf Demir: 5/10
A subdued display from the Austrian youngster. There were one or two moments when he moved well to create spaces for others around him but wasn’t able to do so consistently, much to the frustration of his manager, who had a go at him from the touchline. Hooked off at half-time.
Luuk de Jong: 4/10
Handed a start as the No. 9, the deadline day signing was pretty much anonymous for large parts. Too static at the top, does not offer the kind of moment that could trouble the hosts’ defence or bring in Barcelona’s creators. Looks like a big misfit.
Barcelona attempted 80+ open play crosses in the last 2 games. Luuk de Jong connected with 0 of them.
— @Barca19stats pic.twitter.com/Cng2RZbd8C
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) September 23, 2021
Memphis Depay: 5/10
After the bright start to life in Catalonia, the Dutchman has slightly faded in recent games. Was guilty of spurning two great opportunities to put Barcelona ahead in the second half. There were moments when he posed a threat to the visitors, but ultimately wasn’t able to drag his team over the line.
SUBSTITUTES
Sergi Roberto: 6/10
On for Demir at half-time. Helped Barcelona improve in the early stages of the second period with his involvement. However, that faded after de Jong’s sending off.
Philippe Coutinho: 5/10
Replaced Luuk de Jong in the 68th minute. Didn’t offer much in terms of chance creation.
Nico Gonzalez: 5/10
Sent on in place of Gavi in the 73rd minute. Wasn’t able to get involved much.
Riqui Puig: N/A
On for Dest in the 80th minute. Did not do much of note.
