Yamal 8.0, Gavi 7.5 | Barcelona 2-2 Atalanta: Player ratings | OneFootball

A tense and cagey game saw FC Barcelona draw at home to Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League. The Catalan giants were not dependent on this game for their direct qualification to the Round of 16, but it was still a big game nonetheless. However, Barcelona will be just about fine with the final result.

Goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo were enough for Hansi Flick’s side to manage a draw against a rather hungry Atalanta side, and La Blaugrana finish the competition’s league phase in a comfortable spot. However, some players did perform better than others on the night.

Here are the player ratings for Hansi Flick’s team.

Player Ratings:

Wojciech Szczesny: 6.5

A bit shaky on the ball at times but had an otherwise solid opening 45 minutes and even managed to save a deflected shot that surely would have given Atalanta the lead in the first half.

Jules Kounde: 7.0

Put in a proper shift out on the right flank, and the Frenchman made sure that Atalanta had a hard time going wide. Still, a few chances for the Italian team were generated from that side, and Kounde was not exactly at his best today.

Ronald Araujo: 8.0

Composed and aggressive when it came to defending and marking his man, and that is exactly what Barcelona needed from him. Even ended up grabbing a big goal for the team through a corner where he was left unmarked.

Eric Garcia: 6.5

Started in place of Pau Cubarsi on the night and it was clear to see that Barcelona were struggling to play the ball out from the back as a result. Did well defensively, but struggled when it came to making impactful forward passes.

Alejandro Balde: 7.5

The Spaniard was a lot for Atalanta to deal with, and his constant runs forward made it hard for the Italian side to keep up. Moreover, his defensive workrate was also commendable as he stopped the opposition from getting a first goal in the opening half.

Frenkie de Jong: 7.0

The Dutchman seemed lively enough, and was fully prepared to defend and dribble as the team needed him. Even when the Barcelona defenders were struggling to play the ball out, he would often drop deep to help the passage of play.

Pedri: 7.0

Unable to impact the game too much in the first half and saw most of his ideas go to waste as Atalanta had a good reading of the decisions that Barcelona was making. Grew into the game as more time went by, and began orchestrating the play for the team as he typically does.

Lamine Yamal: 8.0

Whenever he had the ball he looked ready to make things happen. It was through Lamine Yamal that Barcelona created some openings for themselves, despite there not being much end product. Early on in the second half, however, he showcased his magic and gave Barcelona the lead with a great goal.

Gavi: 7.5

Beyond just surviving an injury scare in the first half, the opening 45 minutes saw Gavi as one of the only protagonists for Barcelona. He kept running while his team looked lethargic and devoid of any ideas.

Raphinha: 8.0

A quiet opening half saw Raphinha being heavily marked and the Atalanta defenders were always aware of his attempts to make some runs in behind. Instead, the Brazilian started to shine more as a creator for the team as the game went on. Provided one to Lamine Yamal, and grabbed a second assist through his corner kick to Ronald Araujo.

Robert Lewandowski: 7.0

Looked effective in terms of his hold-up play and was accurate with his passes as well when it came to his distribution. Could have maybe scored himself had it not been for an unfortunate touch from him.

Substitutes:

Pau Cubarsi: 6.5

The Spaniard came on and it became clear that his ball-playing ability was sorely missed. Instant impact from the substitute and he improved Barça’s overall ability to play out from the back.

Fermin Lopez: 6.0

Intense and driven, Fermin Lopez gave Barça that additional bit of energy. With Gavi coming off, he was the right substitute to come in.

Ferran Torres: 6.5

Made the team look much more effective in terms of their structure and offensive strategy compared to Robert Lewandowski. Did not manage to get a goal but was eager to find the back of the net.

Marc Casado: 6.0

Was composed and brought some extra stability to the team’s midfield.

Pau Victor: N/A