UEFA Champions League: Player ratings for Arsenal versus Barcelona (Part 3)
Ratings for Barcelona
Victor Valdez
Usually Victor Valdez is a very reliable customer between the goal posts for Barcelona. It seemed as if, it would be one of those days again for the Spanish national team goalie as he denied Van Persie twice in the first 45 minutes of the match.
However, Victor’s howler in the second half has the potential to be a knockout blow for Barcelona as it allowed Arsenal to carve their way back into the match.
Nonetheless, with the second leg to come, repair work needs to be undertaken by the Spanish giants. In the second half of the first leg, Valdez was at fault for not guarding his near post on Van Persie’s only goal of the match. Other than that, Barcelona’s
youth product was impervious on the night. Rating: 6/10
Daniel Alves
Regularly praised for his endurance to blitz up and down the right wing for Barcelona from his full back position, Alves was at fault for Arsenal’s winning strike on the night. It was his lack of stamina coupled with the final minutes of the match, which
allowed Arshavin to sneak in on Samir Nasri’s finely timed pass.
Nonetheless, in an overall context of the match, Alves was an average performer at the Emirates stadium. Ineffective in attack, apart from his fantastic ball retention capabilities, Alves didn’t create any solid chances for himself or either his team mates
on the night.
Additionally, he allowed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Samir-Nasri-c32360 to trick past him on a couple of occasions in the second half. Rating: 7/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gerard-c14664 Pique
Disappointing is the one word that does justice to Pique’s display against Arsenal. Not only was the former Manchester United centre back wasteful in possession for large periods of the match. It was his inability to match Van Persie stride for stride, which
led towards Arsenal’s equalizer on the night.
Persie’s movement against Barcelona’s defence was a troublesome factor for Pique, who was tasked with marking the Dutch forward. In general, Pique suffered due to the presence of his astute defensive partner, Carles Puyol on the night.
After getting a yellow card within the first half of the match, Barcelona’s centre back has already ruled himself out of the return leg at Nou Camp, creating further troubles for Pep Guardiola. Rating: 6.5/10
Eric Abidal
A lot more composed with his tackles and passes than his partner Pique, Abidal did quite well whilst filling in for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carles-Puyol-c8331 in Barcelona’s back four. It was the Frenchman’s excellent positional sense that denied Van Persie a clear cut goal scoring opportunity
when Walcott crossed for the Dutch striker.
Abidal was Barcelona’s saviour time and again on the night and when Barcelona take on Arsenal in three week’s time at the Nou Camp, Eric will be in the centre of the action once again for Pep Guardiola’s team. Rating: 8/10
Maxwell Andrade
Maxwell dealt adeptly with Theo Walcott’s threat but his lack of positioning cost Barcelona the tie on the night as Samir Nasri ran in behind the Brazilian full back to assist for Andrey Arshavin’s goal on the night.
In the first half, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan defender was caught out of position as Arsenal were wasteful with most of their counter attacks.
As the match progressed, Walcott’s pace became less of an issue and the 29 year old started to join in on the wing play alongside Pedro and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296.
However, the full back lacked imagination with his distribution in the final third for the Catalan giants. Rating: 6.5/10
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