Barcelona took on Osasuna away from home on Saturday night as part of match day 34 of La Liga, and the night presented them with a chance to take one more step towards the title with a win.
As expected, however, the fortress in Pamplona was exceedingly difficult to break, especially with both Lamine Yamal and Raphinha absent from the starting lineups once more.
The first half was a relatively silent affair played with less tempo than Flick would have liked. However, Barcelona picked up the tempo after the break and began to push for an opener, one that did not arrive even deep into the game.
Eventually, the goal arrived in the 80th minute through a lovely Marcus Rashford – Robert Lewandowski connection, handing the team all three points. Minutes later, Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres combined for the second.
Osasuna pulled one back in the dying minutes, but it was not enough to mount the comeback.
Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Osasuna 1-2 Barcelona.
Joan Garcia: 7.5
The Spanish goalkeeper had a relatively silent game and was called into action only once in the entire first half. Despite Osasuna playing with impetus, they did not reach their goal directly on many occasions on the night.
Not much he could do to prevent the late goal from Osasuna.
Eric Garcia: 6.5
Garcia was handed a start at right-back on the night and did decent defensively to cut off Javi Galan and Raul Moro. However, his presence limited the attacking opportunities on the right flank and did not give Bardghji the right conditions to shine.
Did not have too much defending to do against Osasuna, but was up for the task whenever called into action.
Pau Cubarsi: 7.5
Cubarsi was one of the bright spots on the night as he held the defensive line with conviction, played the ball convincingly from the back, and made all the right calls as a defensive leader.
He racked up a total of six defensive contributions in the first half alone including a crucial last-man tackle.
Gerard Martin: 7
As Cubarsi’s most reliable partner this season, Martin rightfully earned another start in the league and did well in his chance. While he was not called into action nearly as much as his partner, he was rock-solid when challenged in his area.
Joao Cancelo: 7
Starting at left-back, Cancelo was tasked with not only the defensive challenge of holding off Ruben Garcia but also the attacking challenge of stretching Osasuna’s defence.
The Portuguese star was rock solid in defence and did not allow many plays to go through on his flank. His dribbling, however, was not up to his usual standards while his passing also was a relative let-down.
Gavi: 8
The La Masia midfielder was a live wire on the field for Barcelona, although this time Flick handed him a start as part of the double pivot alongside Pedri Gonzalez.
Gavi stood out for his defensive actions and interceptions and only slowed down slightly after his yellow card. His passing and dribbling were on point, and he continued to show why he is a deserving starter in Flick’s midfield.
Pedri: 8
Pedri, as always, stood out with his control of the ball and the stability that he brought to the game in possession.
With Gavi handing most of the dirty work, Pedri was free to dictate the flow of the game and dribble through the middle. His passing was largely accurate and he also put in a strong shift off the ball.
Dani Olmo: 6
The Spanish attacking midfielder was largely a let-down on the night as he did not look convincing in any aspect of the game for which he was started.
His passing was largely unconvincing and unambitious, as was his combination play in tight spaces. He did not dribble as well as he could in tight spaces either, leaving Barcelona blunt in the final third.
Fermin Lopez: 8
While Olmo suffered an off-night, Fermin was the same lively presence that he always is. The youngster has one shot on target and was active on the left wing, combining with Cancelo and looking to get in behind the defence.
In the first half, however, he did not get into goalscoring opportunities as often as he should have and he improved in that respect after the break. Provided a wonderful assist for Ferran’s goal.
Roony Bardghji: 6.5
Handed another start in Lamine Yamal’s absence, Bardghji did not look the part against Osasuna. While his performance was not disastrous, it was nowhere close to the impact one would have expected of him.
While his dribbling did involve some promising moments his passing was a bit too safe and he did not put in a strong shift off the ball.
Robert Lewandowski: 8
With his departure from the club growing increasingly obvious with every passing week, the Polish striker was handed a start against Osasuna once more in La Liga.
While he did not get on the scoreboard in the first half, he looked decent on the field and did not contribute much to the buildup. Stepped up with a crucial and perfectly timed header to hand the team all three points.
Marcus Rashford: 8
Came on in the second half and made an immediate impact with his through balls and crosses, one of which fell perfectly for Lewandowski and paved the way for Barcelona’s opening goal late in the game.
Ferran Torres: 7.5
The ‘Shark’ came on in the second half as well and had a massive impact as he scored the team’s second goal late in the game and put the result beyond doubt.
The post Lewandowski 8, Gavi 8 | Osasuna 1-2 Barcelona: Player Ratings appeared first on Barca Universal.
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