UEFA Champions League: FC Barcelona 1-1 PSG: Player Ratings

Valdés came to Barcelona’s rescue on more than one occasion last night; if it wasn’t for his crucial interventions then Lionel Messi would have never had the opportunity to even salvage a draw for his team. That’s how important Valdés was last night. Whether he was denying Ezequiel Lavezzi at point-blank range, stopping Lucas Moura from heading PSG into the lead or keeping his former colleague Zlatan Ibrahimovic at bay in injury-time, Valdés was virtually unbeatable.

This wasn’t Dani Alves’ best performance in a Barcelona shirt – far from it in fact – but it wasn’t his worst either. While the goal was scored from the side of the field that Alves was supposed to be defending, the Brazilian wasn’t really liable; instead one could put the blame at the feet of the Blaugrana attack for losing possession so cheaply in the first place. Could have been better, could have been worse; pretty much sums up Alves’ season...

After the 2-2 draw in the first-leg at Parc des Princes, we pondered whether or not Gerard Piqué should still be considered as one of the best defenders in the world. Unfortunately, we weren’t treated to a master-class from the Catalan last night; but, Piqué did his job. Alongside an unfamiliar partner, Piqué made one particularly vital intervention, stepping in to deny Lavezzi a one-on-one with Valdés. Whether you think he could or should have done better is irrelevant – Barça only conceded one goal after all – I’m simply glad that we have Piqué available for the semi-finals this season.

And speaking of that unfamiliar partner, just how well did Adriano perform last night? Certainly I’m not able to point out a moment where Adriano came to the rescue, but I’m equally unable to point out a moment where Adriano could have cost us the tie. In fact, I would argue that he performed in exactly the same way that we are used to seeing from Carles Puyol, or Javier Mascherano, rather than sit back and wait for the ball, Adriano pressed forward in search of possession. The only problem was that PSG were ready for it, and proceeded to pick the Barça defense apart.

There were worries at the start of the season when Barcelona parted with €14 million to re-sign Jordi Alba: would he and Dani Alves be able to start on either side of defense? We’re roughly nine months into Jordi Alba’s time at the club, and I think it’s safe to say that it was all much ado about nothing. There are moments when Barcelona get caught out at the back – but that’s always been the case and with Alba marauding up and down the left-flank, the Blaugrana are that little bit tougher to defend. Take yesterday’s match for example, Alba was actually one of our best defenders and thanks to his tremendous athleticism; he was also one of our more creative players too.

Sergio Busquets was relatively anonymous last night, and it’s no coincidence that Barcelona struggled to impose themselves on the game as a result. Credit to PSG and to Carlo Ancelotti, as the visitors pressed Busquets at every opportunity, resorting to fouling the lanky midfielder at times; anything they could do to stop Busi from settling into his usual rhythm.

100%. 96 out of 96. No matter how you look at it, there can be no denying that Xavi was impressive from a statistical standpoint last night. Recycling possession in midfield is just as important as supplying assists; and given PSG’s strength on the counter, maybe one misplaced pass from Xavi could have been our downfall? Of course we can’t forget about his free-kick either, Xavi was mere inches away from breaking the deadlock less than a minute into the game. I suppose it’s safe to say he’s back to 100% fitness.

The perfect complement to Xavi’s measured performance in midfield, Iniesta went for the kill with each and every touch, dazzling the crowd with his close control and audacity. It didn’t matter whether he was 40 yards away from goal or less than 18, Iniesta was ready to try his luck from virtually any angle; not to mention humiliate any defender that came between him and the goal...

With all the post-match attention directed towards Lionel Messi, it was easy to forget that Pedro was the man who got the all-important equaliser – his first goal for the club in over two months. Time and time again, Pedro has scored important goals in high-pressure situations; and yes, this wasn’t his best, nor was it the most important. In fact, given his recent goal-scoring record, it might even be his last goal of the season – certainly, Pedro barely threatened in the 70 minutes leading up to his goal – but he didn’t let that deter him, burying the chance to send Barça into the semi-finals.

Fàbregas isn’t Messi, but even so, what was he thinking when he decided to shoot from the best part of 25 yards not just once, or twice, but virtually whenever he got the opportunity? It was wasteful, and to be frank, pretty stupid for a player of his calibre to consistently try his luck from absurd distances. Especially when he missed every single attempt. Moving away from his horrendous shooting, Fàbregas actually created a few chances in his hour on the field, which only served to accentuate his terrible shooting – just imagine what he could have created if his decision-making was a little better.

David Villa may have made his name as a goal-scorer, but it’s moments like the one he had yesterday that made him a star. Many players would have attempted a shot themselves when presented with a sight of goal as Villa was in the 71^st minute – and chances are that those players would have missed. However, Villa was smart, he knew that he could create a better chance for one of his teammates, and that’s exactly what he did. Teeing up Pedro with a superb back-heel, Villa set up the equalising goal, helping Barça progress to their sixth successive UEFA Champions League semi-final.

The reaction to Messi’s performance last night has been mixed. Of course, without the Argentine Barça would have probably been eliminated, so, some are thankful, and others are worried. Worried that Barcelona are "nothing" without Messi. Conveniently, Saturday’s 5-0 win over Mallorca has been forgotten – after all, Barcelona face teams like PSG every week don’t they? Sarcasm aside, Barcelona would be moderately successful without Messi – the Manita against Mallorca proved as much – and yes, Barcelona would probably fail to win the UEFA Champions League without their star striker – as yesterday’s match proved – but, thankfully, Barcelona almost always have Messi in their starting line-up. And with Messi, they are close to unbeatable.

Despite securing their progression to the semi-finals, Barcelona were far from their best last night and on another night, may have been eliminated by their free-spending visitors. However, perhaps that’s something we should be focusing on; Barcelona were not very good, but still progressed to take their place amongst the four best sides in Europe. Who knows what the future holds – provided Barça can return to their best.

Tito managed the match well; starting Adriano worked out OK, and bringing Messi off the bench was the perfect decision as well - the Argentine couldn't have started the match judging by his brief cameo. Even down to the last substitution, Tito did an excellent job.

With 40% of the vote, Messi saw off competition from Victor Valdes to scoop the MoTM award.