La Liga: FC Barcelona 4-0 UD Almeria: Player Ratings

Bravo wasn’t necessarily tested much against Almeria, but the Andalusian-side spread out their attacks over the entire game so meaning Bravo had to be alert throughout the game. He commanded his penalty area very well, collecting several loose balls and punching the ball out when necessary. Bravo was also credited with three saves, but none of them actually caused the Chilean to break a sweat.

Alves had a frustratingly up-and-down game against Almeria. He made plenty of good plays, especially in attack where he combined with his teammates excellently, oftentimes setting up his teammates with some good passing. The "down" part of his attacking game was once again his crossing, where the only way to lower his already low standards was by consistently hitting the first defender in front of him. Defensively Alves also made a few very good plays, making a couple very good tackles and showing good recovery speed in one instance - after being beat by Theivy Bifouma to steal the ball back a few feet later.

Looking at Mascherano’s stats you could easily come to the conclusion that the Argentine had a pedestrian game. That was not exactly the case as Mascherano had to work hard to cope with the speedy Thievy, but the forward still often got the better of him. To say Mascherano struggled with Thievy’s speed would be an understatement. He even picked up a yellow card for a smart foul to stop a counter led by the French-born forward. It wasn’t all bad though as El Jefecito also made a few good plays.

Adriano didn’t impress against Celta Vigo on Sunday, and while he didn’t set the world ablaze against in this one, there was an improvement. He was much more active in attack where he combined with his teammates much better than he did against Celta. He even tried to get on the scoreboard from his favorite position, 30-yards out, but his shot lacked power to beat Julián Cuesta. Defensively it was a mixed bag for the Brazilian, making a couple good plays, but being beat on a couple of occasions as well.

In a rare starting appearance, Roberto performed well. Sitting the furthest back of the three midfielders, he worked as an orchestrator of the midfield. Helping to bridge the gap between midfield and defence, he proved effective as he created chances with his accurate passing. His defensive work was also good with five tackles and two interceptions.

A great performance from Xavi which reminded Barça fans just how disappointing it will be to lose him in the summer. He twice came close to opening the scoring for Barça. The first was a smart run into the box that was just a second too late for Pedro’s cross. Next he found himself with space on the edge of the area but volleyed the ball into the ground which made it easier for the keeper. He did register an assist in the game, with his whipped corner finding the head of Marc Bartra. Making 30 passes more then any other player, Xavi ran the game for Barça.

Rakitić was very effective during his time on the pitch, he helped to maintain control in midfield while venturing forward to provide the strikers with more options. It was during the second half when a cross fell kindly to him and his volley forced a save from the keeper. He left the field soon after and finished the game with the second highest passing success rate of any player on the pitch.

Something of a masterclass performance. Timed most of his runs to perfection, scored a double with his only two shots on target and never stopped harrying the Almeria defenders. His first was a stunning effort from the right and his second involved a trademark run and finish. Suarez only completed 21 passes but was effective when it truly mattered.

Struggled to begin with but the frustration didn’t last long with him scoring an absolutely sensational curled strike from the right wing. Messi was Barcelona’s main source of danger and it was his magical pass which set Pedro free for the fourth goal. Messi’s passing and through balls were on the whole on point and he had a goal ruled out for a debatable foul late in the second-half. Further to this, the Argentine also worked hard defensively, as exemplified by him completing five turnovers.

Timed his runs well, played with intensity and was a threat throughout with his blistering pace, but was at times let down by his first touch and end product. This can be explained by his lack of playing time and confidence, yet there is no doubting his commitment.  Four fouls won, four successful dribbles completed, four turnovers and three key passes are admirable. It was his selfless pass which led to Barcelona’s fourth goal. Pedro deserves to be playing for a football club where he would start week in, week out. Will the performance be enough to keep Neymar out of the starting XI? No, it almost certainly won’t.

Martin hit the headlines yesterday with an audacious trick shot captured in training, but he should also receive some plaudits for his performance off the bench on Wednesday evening. Replacing Dani Alves is never an easy task, nor will it be an easy task when the Brazilian calls a close to his time in Catalunya, but Montoya was an able substitute, providing the width and balance we need on the overlap down the right flank. He can cut it against Almeria; how will he fare next week against Paris Saint-Germain?

The withdrawal of Ivan Rakitic was as sure a sign as any from Luis Enrique that the Croatian midfielder will start at the weekend against his former club Sevilla; on Wednesday that meant a cameo for Rafinha who continued his recent run of good form with a solid performance. 100% pass completion, all without breaking a sweat. What more could we ask for?

Speaking of a good return from minimal effort, how about this performance from FC Barcelona? We rarely got out of first and second gear against Almeria but were still far too strong and ended up winning by four goals. After a slow and perhaps even shaky start to the match, Barca never lost their cool, kept their composure and never looked back once Messi broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion. There's a lot more to come from the team; let's hope we see it on Saturday against Sevilla.

Rotations? Check. Good substitutions? Check. An emphatic win and another three points? Check and check -- that's as close to perfect as you can get in my book.

This was one of the closest Man of the match votes in recent memory, with Messi just edging it for a few votes over Luis Suarez who ended with 37%. With the two picking up the lion's share of the votes 12% were enough for Xavi to pick up the third place trophy.