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Barcelona player ratings vs Espanyol: Messi delivers a masterclass

By Atharva Khadilkar

FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (10) with his teammates of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring the goal during the match RCD Espanyol against FC Barcelona, for the round 15 of the Liga Santander, played at RCD Espanyol Stadium on 8th December 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (10) with his teammates of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring the goal during the match RCD Espanyol against FC Barcelona, for the round 15 of the Liga Santander, played at RCD Espanyol Stadium on 8th December 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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CORNELLA, SPAIN – DECEMBER 8: Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between Espanyol v FC Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium on December 8, 2018 in Cornella Spain (Photo by Jeroen Meuwsen/Soccrates/Getty Images)
CORNELLA, SPAIN – DECEMBER 8: Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between Espanyol v FC Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium on December 8, 2018 in Cornella Spain (Photo by Jeroen Meuwsen/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

Defensive Midfielder- Sergio Busquets- 7/10

Sergio Busquets did not have to put in a demanding shift when defending, mainly because Espanyol were happy to sit back and try playing on the counter(which was a huge fail, by the way). The defensive midfielder’s involvement was however not much in the match, primarily because Marc Roca was always staying close to him and making interceptions. Busquets completed 90% of his passes but it was just another average evening for the 30-year-old who has been inconsistent this season, unfortunately.

Right Midfielder- Arturo Vidal- 7.5/10

In all honesty, Arturo Vidal has had better evenings than the one against Espanyol, but this time out it was more than enough to be a protagonist for Barcelona. Vidal put in a decent display, completing 89% of his attempted passes and resisting Sergi Darde’s pressure in a superb way. The former Bayern Munich midfielder won a lot of balls in the midfield but failed to display the creative side of his game. Vidal also took some futile shots which were unnecessary to be honest.

Left Midfielder- Ivan Rakitic- 8/10

Ivan Rakitic was possibly Barcelona’s best midfielder and put in a good shift even at defence. The Croatia international did not get any respite during the midweek Copa del Rey fixture and so he did look a bit fatigued in the game. Nonetheless, Rakitic completed over 90% of his passes and was the link between playing the ball forward from the back. He was usually unmarked and hence, his importance to Barcelona in this win was tremendous. Diego Lopez was forced into making a good save from one of his shots.

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