Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski were impressive as Barcelona beat Villarreal 3-0 at Camp Nou on Thursday.
Barcelona were under pressure to pick up all three points against Villarreal on Thursday night after losing to arch-rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico over the weekend. Xavi Hernandez made a number of changes to his side in a bid to get them back on track, and it worked out perfectly for the home team.
Goals from Robert Lewandowski and Ansu Fati sealed all three points from Barcelona, and the win takes them up to second in the table, three points adrift of leaders Real Madrid, who beat Elche this week. Here at The Hard Tackle, we look at how the Barcelona players fared against Unai Emery’s side.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 7/10
The German international barely had a save to make. He was largely untested throughout the game but did well with his catching and distribution.
Sergi Roberto: 6.5/10
Roberto helped out well in the attack, but he was not too comfortable at the back. The likes of Arnaut Danjuma and Alex Baena caused problems for him, but Barcelona were solid as a defensive unit, and Roberto’s vulnerabilities were addressed without a problem.
Jules Kounde: 8/10
The Frenchman was excellent throughout the game and did well to mop up behind his full-backs who were struggling on the night. Kound was effective with his distribution as well.
Jules Kounde vs Villarreal:
98% pass accuracy (78/80)
100% cross accuracy (1/1)
6/7 accurate long balls
1 clearance
2 interceptions
5 recoveries
1/1 aerial duels won
1 foul committed— ᴀᴅᴏ (@bosnianflairr) October 20, 2022
Marcos Alonso: 6/10
Another player who did well going forward, but he seemed like a liability at the back at times. Thankfully for Alonso, Kounde was at hand to mop up behind him. To be fair to him, he was deployed as a centre-back.
Jordi Alba: 6.5/10
Handed a start after missing out in the last game, Alba impressed going forward and created a goal for Robert Lewandowski. However, he needs to do better defensively. The veteran Spanish full-back was caught out of position a couple of times.
Gavi: 7.5/10
The young Barcelona midfielder put on a splendid performance against Villarreal. He worked tirelessly to harass the opposition midfielders and add a creative spark in the middle of the park as well. Gavi ended up creating Robert Lewandowski’s second goal.
Frenkie de Jong: 9/10
The Dutchman produced a remarkable performance for his side here. Frenkie de Jong was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch along with Lewandowski. The Dutchman was deployed as the defensive midfielder and helped his side win the ball back and intercept the opposition attacks. He was impressive in possession as well and did well to control the tempo of the game.
Frenkie de Jong vs Villarreal:
2 successful dribbles**
4 tackles won**
9 recoveries*
75/79 passing
94.9% passing precision** game high
* team high pic.twitter.com/abmqQl1W5o— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 20, 2022
Pedri: 7.5/10
Another impressive performance from the youngster. Pedri played a big part in Barcelona’s opening goal and was decisive on the ball throughout the game. He created a number of chances for the home side.
Ferran Torres: 8/10
Torres started ahead of Raphinha and justified his selection with an outstanding performance. He caused all sorts of problems for the Villarreal defenders and created the goal for Ansu Fati. Given the kind of form Raphinha has been in, Torres is likely to retain his place in the starting lineup for now.
Robert Lewandowski: 9/10
The Polish international was back to doing what he does best. Lewandowski scored a brace on the night and put the Villarreal defence to sword. He linked up well with Ansu Fati and Torres.
▪️ Two goals today
▪️ 11 goals in 10 La Liga games🎯 Robert Lewandowski 🎯 pic.twitter.com/a8mfUr6II3
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 20, 2022
Ansu Fati: 7.5/10
The young winger started in place of Ousmane Dembele and grabbed his opportunity with both hands. He scored the third goal of the game and could have added another if not for the woodwork. Fati was a nightmare for the opposition full-backs as well.
SUBSTITUTES
Hector Bellerin: 6/10
Bellerin looked decent after coming on in the second half. The Spaniard did not make too much of an impact defensively or in the final third.
Raphinha: 6/10
Raphinha missed a glorious chance to get on the scoresheet. Other than that, the Brazilian attacker did not make much of an impact.
Sergio Busquets: 6/10
Busquets came on to help calm things down in the middle of the park and did his job. The Barcelona captain kept the ball and recycled possession expertly.
Ousmane Dembele: 6.5/10
Dembele made an instant impact after coming on, created two big chances for Raphinha and Torres.
Gerard Pique: N/A
Came on too late to make any meaningful impact.
