Barcelona versus Arsenal – UEFA Champions League: Player ratings (Part 2)
After elaborating on Player ratings for Barcelona’s defence, now it is time to shed some light on the rest of their starting eleven with regard to their respective performances at Nou Camp against Arsenal.
Xavi Hernandez
Impervious on the night once again, Xavi was at his characteristic best as he ushered Barcelona’s troops through his visionary position in the midfield area. More often than not, Barcelona were faced by a ten man Arsenal defensive
wall thus it was only suitable that Xavi gave Barcelona their second goal of the match as he was played in by his midfield partner Andres Iniesta. It was a usual nonchalant finish by the Spain’s World Cup winning playmaker. As the tournament goes on, Xavi
will undoubtedly continue to produce match winning performances. Rating: 8.5/10
Andres Iniesta
Rivalling Arsenal on every given opportunity, Iniesta was silent for most of the first half but he came alive in the dying moments of the first 45 minutes of the match as he latched onto Cesc Fabregas’s mishit back heel before
playing a wonderfully timed ball through to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38605 a well deserved lead. In the second half, Iniesta gathered his second assist as he played in Xavi Hernandez for
Barcelona’s second goal of the night. It was just another majestic display by the skilful Spaniard which now means that Barcelona will be gunning in the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Rating: 9/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Javier-Mascherano-c18071
A destroyer of men and footballers alike in his days at http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809, Mascherano has evolved as a player since his arrival at Barcelona. On Tuesday night against Arsenal, Mascherano was at his best. Not only did he do his all to halt
Arsenal’s frequent counter attacks but the Argentinean also became involved in Barcelona’s elaborate build up play. His determination and dedication was crucial to Barcelona’s cause as he pressurized http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nicklas-Bendtner-c27726 right in the final moments of the match
to skew his shot wide. All in all, it was a job well done by the former Liverpool midfielder.
Rating: 7.5/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Villa-c10629
After doing little in the first half of the match and missing a host of chances in the second half, Villa was substituted by Pep Guardiola around the 82nd minute of the match. In the first half, Villa was involved heavily
in the build up play but he failed to get past the likes of Djourou and Koscielny to get a piece of the goalmouth action that was on display at Nou Camp. In the second half, the encounter opened up after Robin van Persie’s red card, an occurrence which led
towards several key goal scoring opportunities for Villa but time and again the ex-Valencia forward was thwarted by some fine goalkeeping by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Manuel-Almunia-c23386.
Rating: 7/10
Pedro Rodriguez
Much like his compatriot David Villa, Pedro found it hard to get past Arsenal’s defensive wall in the first half. However, when the game opened up in the second 45 minutes of the tie, Pedro was instrumental in winning a crucial
penalty kick inside the Arsenal penalty area as he was brought to the ground by Laurent Koscienly’s outstretched leg. All in all, it was an above average performance by the Spanish striker who found it hard to link up with the likes of Xavi and Messi as Barcelona
marched onto a 3-1 win against the Gunners. Rating: 6.5/10
Lionel Messi
Yet another match changing performance from the little Argentinean forward saw Barcelona progress to the quarterfinals. Lionel’s man of the match display saw him score an amazing goal in the first half as he collected Iniesta’s
through pass before looping the ball over the onrushing Arsenal goalkeeper. In the second half, Messi got into threatening positions again and again but some last ditch defending from Arsenal’s center backs allowed them to keep the score line at a respectable
level. It was Messi who netted Barcelona’s third goal of the night as well, as he was responsible for taking the spot kick which was won by Pedro in the first place.
Rating: 9/10
In the next part of this player rating edition, we shall take some time out to reflect on Arsenal’s players and their player ratings for their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona F.C.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect the official editorial policy of www.bettor.com
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