Barcelona’s player ratings vs Betis: Messi’s efforts are wasted
Left Winger- Malcom Oliviera- 5/10
Malcom started his first La Liga match and was withdrawn within 45 minutes of it. The 21-year-old was looking to capitalize on his debut goal against Inter Milan last week with a similar result against Betis and started off pretty well in his quest to impress Valverde. However, after 20 odd minutes, the winger looked completely exhausted and would rarely even get himself involved in plays. With performances like these, Malcom surely will not have a long future in Barcelona.
Striker- Luis Suarez- 5/10
Luis Suarez’s performance hit a low as soon as Lionel Messi got his first touch of the ball on the evening. The former Liverpool forward was on fire in the 31-year-old’s absence but that fire seemed to have been extinguished by Leo’s return into the starting eleven.
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Suarez failed to get onto the scoresheet and gave away cheap possession at times. He was kept leashed by Marc Bartra, a player who he will certainly be familiar with after spending two years with him at Barca.
Right Winger- Lionel Messi- 9/10
Lionel Messi was inarguably Barcelona’s best player and showed absolutely no signs of his previously suffered injury. The 31-year-old scored twice and initiated the move responsible for Arturo Vidal’s goal with a sublime through ball. The Argentinian winger seemed like a dispenser of the ball since the game got underway and the proved to be fatal for Barcelona. The players did not seem to take responsibility, but that surely does not affect Messi’s display.