Barcelona Player Ratings vs Dynamo Kyiv: 8.5/10 Alba, 8/10 Pique facilitate big win

Barcelona secured their first win of their Champions League campaign in a rather unspectacular fashion, easing some pressure off Ronald Koeman.

Barcelona ended their Champions League misery with a routine win over Dynamo Kyiv at the Camp Nou. After losing their opening two games to Bayern Munich and Benfica, Ronald Koeman’s side were desperate for a victory to keep any hopes of progressing from the group alive.

Gerard Pique scored the match-winning goal in the first half, which was also Barcelona’s first strike in the competition. The home side could have scored more than just the one goal, with Sergino Dest and Luuk de Jong coming close to getting their names on the scoresheet.

Koeman’s side started brightly, with Dest going close to scoring. Then Luuk de Jong got his free header off target, which was a terrible miss. Dynamo Kyiv goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan was why the scorecard was blank until Pique got his volley right from a Jordi Alba ball.

In the end, Pique’s goal proved crucial to secure the three points, although the Barcelona fanbase might have enjoyed goals galore. This win will go down well with the hierarchy, as it presents another lease of life to qualify for the next phase and eases some pressure from Koeman’s shoulder. Here’s how Barcelona’s players fared during their narrow win over Dynamo Kyiv.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 5/10

For the first time in many games, ter Stegen had very little to do and credit to the defence in front of him for letting him have a calm night.

Oscar Mingueza: 5/10

Koeman drafted Mingueza as a more defensive option, and the full-back carried out his instructions until he got taken off. Did not charge forward regularly, and the right-back was eventually replaced at half-time for the more adventurous Coutinho.

Gerard Pique: 8/10

A superb display from the experienced defender. Pique was tasked with marking young striker Vladyslav Supriaha, who he kept quiet throughout the evening. As a bonus, Pique got the only goal of the game to secure the much-needed win.

Clement Lenglet: 6/10

As was the case with the entire defensive line, Dynamo barely threatened on the evening. Lenglet was calm at the back, although there’s no real metric to judge his performance as it was all just basic passing and defending.

Jordi Alba: 8.5/10

A dominant display from the left-back, who looked at his very best on the evening. Alba was the attacking force on the left side, constantly threatening to topple the opponent’s balance. Got the assist for Pique’s all-important strike.

Sergio Busquets: 5.5/10

There were plenty of clumsy challenges from Busquets, which rather showed he was not at his composed levels. Yet, none of those resulted in anything bad for the midfielder, although his physical decline was quite evident. Fans will be hoping this is just a temporary blip.

Gavi: 6/10

Gavi looked a bit tired from the start as possibly the host of games played in the last few weeks might be taking a toll on his young legs. Yet, he displayed tidiness on the ball without reaching the levels of his recent performances.

Frenkie de Jong: 5.5/10

It seemed like there was no purpose to de Jong’s game against Dynamo. Effective nonetheless, the Dutchman was not at his best or nowhere near even 50% of his abilities.

Sergino Dest: 7/10

Dest is shining in an advanced role in the front three and yet again proved a goal threat. However, after Coutinho came on, he was moved back into his usual right-back position and looked much more comfortable.

Embed from Getty Images

Luuk de Jong: 5/10

The rating is such for being in the right place when the crosses came in. However, his end product was terrible, and de Jong needs to do more to get a consistent run of games in the team. His glaring miss from a free header would have haunted him for a long time had Barcelona conceded a goal or lost this game.

Memphis Depay: 6/10

Depay was an effective performer from the left side, and he did not look as comfortable as he did from a central position. Yet, Depay was a constant menace, although his final ball lacked quality.

SUBSTITUTES

Philippe Coutinho: 6/10

Coutinho’s introduction, alongside Fati’s, changed the complexion in Barcelona’s attack, as the team looked more fluid going forward. Yet, for all the zip he brought, he could not finish with a strike or assist.

Ansu Fati: 7/10

Fati has been in good form lately and probably should have started in that front three. However, he was given 45 minutes of play and did not disappoint. Had a few chances, especially the attempted overhead kick. Slowly showing he could be the right player as the heir to the legendary no.10 shirt. Post the game, Barcelona announced his new contract, complete with a €1 billion release clause.

Sergi Roberto: 5/10

Roberto came on to shore up the midfield and protect the backline. Did fine.

Sergio Aguero: 5/10

Aguero was given more minutes to integrate with the squad. Did fine, but without any real impact.