Barcelona player ratings vs Inter- No Messi, no problem

Right Winger- Rafinha- 7.5/10

With Lionel Messi being ruled out for a period of three weeks and expected to sit out five matches, Rafinha started the first one. The Brazilian did remain a candidate to occupy his role but very few would have expected him to play as the right winger ahead of Ousmane Dembele. However, that did prove to be the case and Rafinha did impress. He kept making runs inside box and looked dangerous right from the off. He scored a goal in the first half after a great pass from Luis Suarez.

Striker- Luis Suarez- 7/10

Luis Suarez performed well and impressed on the night. He gave Inter Milan’s central defenders Miranda and Milan Skriniar tough times. What stood out was the fact that Suarez behaved a lot more mature on the field and did not go down playacting upon losing the ball. The Uruguay international was just missing a goal on the night but he did help the team get one after teeing up teammate Rafinha Alcantara for the opener with a wonderful pass. It looks like Suarez is well and truly ready to El Clasico and that’s good news for Barca.

Left Winger- Philippe Coutinho- 6.5/10

Philippe Coutinho displayed his expertise against his former club down the left hand side by cutting in and playing fast. However, what was the rip off in the Brazil international’s game was the fact that he tried to go for goal from long-range very often and that did alienate a few Barcelona players, especially because they were in better scoring positions in a well-organised defensive setup by Luciano Spalletti’s side. However, the former Liverpool forward looked mature on the wing and helped in the build-up in Leo Messi’s absence.