Barcelona continued their impressive run of form in the Spanish league with a 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday night.
Barcelona came into this game on the back of a 3-0 win over Villarreal, and they were full of confidence and momentum. Xavi Hernandez will be delighted with the performance of his side, and he will be hoping that the players can continue to perform at this level and close the gap with league leaders Real Madrid.
Goals from Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres sealed the all-important three points for the home side. The victory leaves Barcelona second in the league table, three points adrift of arch-rivals Real Madrid, both teams playing 11 games each.
Meanwhile, Athletic Club are now sixth in the standings with 18 points from 11 matches. Here at The Hard Tackle, we look at how the Barcelona players fared in the 4-0 win last night.
FULL TIME! #BarçaAthletic pic.twitter.com/rQlZkJCRKX
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 23, 2022
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 6/10
The German international was barely tested in the first half, and he was a spectator with his side in cruise control. However, Athletic Club grew into the game in the second half, and ter Stegen had to deal with a number of crosses into the box. He was forced into a mistake as well, but Eric Garcia stepped in to spare his blushes with a clearance.
Sergi Roberto: 8/10
The experienced right-back produced a spectacular performance for his side on the night. Roberto was solid defensively, and he combined well with the Barcelona wingers to create a number of chances for his side. Roberto scored the opening goal of the game for Barcelona as well.
Jules Kounde: 7/10
The Frenchman has been an excellent signing for Barcelona so far. Kounde looked formidable at the back and helped his team build from the deep with his composed passing.
Eric Garcia: 7/10
The youngster has been criticised for his error-prone displays in recent weeks, but he produced a flawless performance at the back. Garcia was solid defensively and made a vital clearance to save Barcelona following a mistake from goalkeeper ter Stegen.
Alejandro Balde: 7/10
The youngster produced an impressive performance at both ends of the pitch. Balde caused all sorts of problems for the visitors with his attacking runs and crosses, and he was solid defensively as well.
Sergio Busquets: 7/10
The experienced defensive midfielder did his job to perfection and won the ball back numerous times for the site. He was calm and composed this distribution in the middle of the park and set the tempo of the game for the home side.
Frenkie de Jong: 8/10
The Dutchman built on his outstanding performance against Villarreal last time out. He was handed a free role with Busquets mopping up behind him. De Jong impressed with his one-touch play and creativity.
📊| Frenkie de Jong vs Athletic Bilbao:
• 90 minutes
• 69 touches
• 93.2% accurate passes
• 1 key pass
• 5/5 long balls completed
• 1/2 dribbles completed
• 4/7 ground duels won
• 1 tackleBack to back super displays from the maestro. 🎩 pic.twitter.com/6a2O9q24zG
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) October 23, 2022
Gavi: 7/10
The newly-crowned Golden Boy continues to impress with his creativity and incisive passing in the middle of the park. However, Barcelona will be disappointed to have lost him with an injury in the first half.
Pedri: 7/10
The young attacking midfielder was deployed in the role of left-sided winger, and he did well to add creativity from the wide areas. Pedri linked up well with the Barcelona forwards as well and nearly got on the scoresheet only to be denied by the woodwork.
🗣️ Xavi: “Pedri is one of our versatile players, we have many players who can adapt to many positions: such as Gavi, Sergi Roberto and Marcos Alonso.” pic.twitter.com/SdUCBcImQh
— infosfcb (@infosfcb) October 23, 2022
Robert Lewandowski: 8/10
Robert Lewandowski managed to score a brace last time out, and he continued his impressive goalscoring form in this game as well. The Pole scored midway through the first half to give his side a commanding lead.
11 games.
12 goals. pic.twitter.com/Whq4Pg1ClD— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 23, 2022
Ousmane Dembele: 10/10
The Frenchman was handed a start here after a series of inconsistent performances in his recent outings. Dembele stepped up big time and produced a masterclass for Barcelona. He scored a goal and picked up three assists against Athletic Club.
Ousmane Dembele is the first Barcelona player with 3 assists and a goal in a LaLiga game since Luis Suarez in 2019.
What a performance 👏 pic.twitter.com/YX5xPefyxV
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) October 23, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Franck Kessie: 4/10
Replaced the injured Gavi in the first half but he failed to assert his control on the game and struggled in the middle of the park.
Ferran Torres: 7/10
The former Manchester City forward is in excellent form right now, and he impressed with his cameo as well. He managed to score the fourth and final goal for his side.
Ansu Fati: 6.5/10
The youngster was quite impressive what is Camilo and had the opportunity to get on the scoresheet himself. Added some pace and flair in the final third after coming on, which troubled a tired Athletic defence.
Marcos Alonso: N/A
Did not do enough to warrant a rating.
🎙 Pablo Torre happy to win in his La Liga debut#BarçaAthletic pic.twitter.com/Pv34ECU6ce
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 24, 2022
Pablo Torre: N/A
The youngster was handed his La Liga debut on the night but did not make a significant impact.
