La Liga: FC Barcelona 2-0 Athletic Bilbao: Player Ratings

It was not a bad day for Dani, though he was a little quieter than his usual self. He combined well with his teammates and unleashed a powerful long range shot to draw an equally top of the line save from Iraizoz just around the first 5 min of the game. He was involved a few minutes later to set-up Thiago for a goal that was ‘correctly’ ruled out for offside. He neutralized a lot of Bilboa attacks, and won a couple of games too to combine with the rest of the back line to limit their opponent to just one shot on target. He was also always open for a pass in attack even though most of his final passes could have been better.

There is something wonderful the Argentine has been building about his style of play in the Blaugrana setup for the past few games. He is playing his game a little higher than he normally did whenever he started from the back. He had the Pique-tendency to just take the ball from deep in defense and make a long run until he gets to the final third of the pitch. It always helps to build play from the back against high pressing opponent, a tactic employed by most opponents nowadays. He pressed well for the ball and there were a few tackles only him and Puyol can master. His passes were very good too and he’ll definitely be in shape to face Milan in a few days.

The Brazilian had a quiet game and was not too involved in the game’s action. There were very few attacks from Bilbao on his area of work and he also was not attacking as much as he usually does. He was however at Valdes’ disposal to receive passes whenever the opposition tried to press him and his shot on the 44^th min gets credit for effort even though the goalkeeper had no trouble saving it. Here’s to hoping he remains fit for the rest of the season, he’ll certainly be very useful.

Busi was superb as usual, bossing the transition between defense and attack. He was very mobile during the game as he retrieved, played and distributed the ball. His passes were of their usual quality as he helped initiate attacks from deep and most counter attacking moves were started by him. He’ll rule this position in the Blaugrana colors for a long time and age is on his side.

The young Spanish international had a very good game proving to some of his doubters that he is one for the future as he builds a name for himself in the Blaugrana colors. His goal on the 7^th min was correctly ruled for offside. He did lose his fair share of possession but made it up with almost everything he was involved in. He was very good defensively and helped a lot in neutralizing Bilbao’s attacks. His dribbling across the box opened space enough for him to unleash a very good pass to Iniesta on the 23^rd min that could have resulted in a goal had it not been for the latter’s first touch that let him down. He also had the chance to ease everyone’s nerves as he made a life-saving clearance in the box during a scramble. Some think he might start against Milan; I can’t wait to find out.

If you compare his performance in this game to the one in the previous game, you’ll be forgiven for suggest that he looked like a completely different player. He was back to his usual position in midfield as opposed to the unfavorable wing in which he was deployed, and he was at his brilliant best. He combined well with teammates in midfield, especially with Thiago, as he dribbled, exchanged one-twos and created chances for the team. He forced a powerful fingertip save from the keeper on the 28^th min and then went on to score a magnificent goal 10 min later from close range off a move started by Sanchez and assisted by Messi. He still had the chance to force another save from a shot that first deflected off Messi and won a corner on the 68^th min before being substituted on the 77^th min to be replaced by his long time partner Xavi.

It was not a performance to remember for Leo but was still very decisive nonetheless. Bielsa had a strong tactic to neutralize him; there were always around three players keeping an eye on him with or without the ball and it looked to frustrate him at times. He still managed to have shots saved or blocked sending in a dangerous free kick in the process. His crosses remind you of the position he called his own prior to the central role he plays now. He added to his long list of assists this season as he put Iniesta through for the first goal and he got himself on the score sheet as well on the 58^th min off a perfectly timed penalty won by Tello. Everyone, who’s got nothing to do with Milan, will be hoping to see an unplayable Messi on Tuesday when the Champions League continues.

He was instantly involved from the beginning of the game as his combination with Messi on the 5^th min won the team a corner conceded by the hardworking Javi Martinez. His pressing high up-field helped retrieve possession as soon as it was lost and he was always a threat for Bilbao. He made a very good dribble on the 30^th min before dangerously crossing the ball but Martinez was there to deal with it. And then a game changing move came on the 40^th min when his pressing allowed him to steal the ball off a Bilbao player before making a pass to Messi who fed it to Iniesta. His frequent runs were always very important even when they didn’t receive the ball in return as he’s always drawing defenders out of position and opening space. He was replaced by Keita late in the game with only 7 min of regulation time remaining. I know he’ll be more than ready to face Milan and hope he improves on his performance against them the previous time.

He came in to replace Tello with about half an hour of regulation time remaining. He was energetic and ran fast as he helped press the tired Bilbao players and managed to get himself into the attacking action on the 90^th min when his powerful shot hit the keeper or was saved, depending on how you look at it, as he looked to get himself on the scoreboard.

A lot of things can be said about the team’s performance but all points will converge down to one; that the team got the job done. They limited a brilliant Bilbao side to just one shot on target and they could have easily scored more than the two goals. They started the game with a lot of urgency and desire to win but they lost a bit of momentum in the second half as they allowed the Basque side more possession, something which can be very dangerous on another day. The defense was excellent and Thiago, Iniesta and Busquets stood out in midfield but the front men need to seriously step up and finish their chances.

He made some very good decisions in this game as he rested Xavi and Puyol with an eye on Milan as well as not risking Cesc whom even though it wasn’t serious, was not in the perfect condition to play according to management. His decision to bring Iniesta back into midfield paid off. I was however not impressed by Tello’s performance in the game even though I was in agreement with his inclusion in the team sheet. At least we now know that it might be a big mistake to start him against Milan. It’s going to be a very challenging tactical battle against the Italians and I hope he’ll get everything right and scare off all potential competitors for the title.