Raphinha 9, Yamal 9 | Barcelona 3-0 Aston Villa: Player Ratings

Raphinha 9, Yamal 9 | Barcelona 3-0 Aston Villa: Player Ratings Hansi Flick and Co. needed to keep the momentum on their side with a win over Aston Villa on Tuesday night, and they did precisely so with relative comfort. Keeping the momentum from their 6-1 win over Deportivo Alaves, Barcelona opened the scoring early through Lamine Yamal and kept the pressure on Aston Villa throughout the opening period. The Catalans, however, did not find a second goal to pull clear until the second half, when Raphinha doubled the lead with a deflected strike. Less than ten minutes after scoring his first goal on the night, the captain completed his brace and helped the team to a comfortable 3-0, handing them a position of serious strength. Barca Universal brings you the player ratings from Barcelona 3-0 Aston Villa. Joan Garcia: 7.5 Hansi Flick’s men dominated most of the game against Aston Villa and even had the lion’s share of possession. Aston Villa, however, did have a few sporadic chances amidst the Catalan dominance, only one of which forced a save from Garcia in the first half. The player had a relatively silent night and was smart to time his runs out and distribution on the night. Joao Cancelo: 7.5 Joao Cancelo did not have a spectacular first half, and while he did not tread any particularly wrong steps, his overall play was closer to the disappointing side. The Portuguese star’s dribbling was sub-par, and he did not have anywhere close to the attacking impact that is expected of him. Further, he failed to win even a single ground duel in the first 45 minutes. However, he did begin to venture more into the attack after the break and earned an assist for Raphinha’s second goal. Overall, his second half was stunning. Gerard Martin: 8 Gerard Martin had a busy first half against Aston Villa, as the hosts threatened to equalize with every spell of possession handed out their way. He was instrumental in ensuring the chances did not test Garcia, and made a staggering seven defensive actions in the first half alone. Beyond that, his distribution was calm and collected as usual, and he did not appear to be in particular trouble at any point. Pau Cubarsi: 7.5 The Spanish defender was less involved than his partner, but still crucial for the defensive structure with his positioning and ability to play out from the back. With Barcelona showing some loose signs and hints of defensive vulnerability at the back, his presence and ability to win duels under pressure were critical. Brian Farinas: 7 Farinas had another good outing. (Picture credit: X/ FC Barcelona) The young La Masia graduate was handed a second straight start after his impressive debut at the weekend, and once again appeared relatively comfortable playing out of position. His decision-making and even combination play in attack were positive. Rodri: 8 Is Rodri injured? (Picture credit: X/ FC Barcelona) The former Manchester City star played only 45 minutes on the night and was taken off at half-time with some reported discomfort. Did well in midfield when he was on the field, giving Barcelona dominance and a sense of calm on the ball. Rodri was Barcelona’s best midfielder in the first half and was crucial in the buildup phase and in cutting off Aston Villa’s counter-attacks at the root. Pedri: 7.5 Pedri had a relatively silent first half by his astronomical standards and was not involved on the ball as much as one would expect him to be. His participation and impact, however, improved after the break and he began controlling the game after Rodri left the field. Fermin Lopez; 7.5 Fermin was an active presence in the final third and constantly pressed to win back possession in high areas. His combination play, dribbling, and decision-making were all on point against Aston Villa. His persistence in the final third was adequately rewarded when he earned the assist for Raphinha’s goal, and deservedly so as he created the chance completely on his own. Beyond that, Fermin himself came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. Anthony Gordon; 7 Gordon was a live wire in Barcelona’s attack, taking on the Premier League side at the Spotify Camp Nou with his pace and dribbling, although the end product was nowhere close to what was expected. The player did make good runs and picked out the right passes, but his shooting was off the mark, and his defensive participation was also relatively subpar in terms of the high press. Raphinha: 9 The Barcelona captain’s goalscoring season shows no signs of fizzling out as he once again netted a brace for the Catalans. Raphinha still did not look to be at 100% physically, but found a good finish to score off Fermin Lopez’s assist early in the second half. While that goal took a mild deflection, his third goal was a lethal finish in the 64th minute. Lamine Yamal: 9 Another goal in the bag for Yamal. (Picture credit: X/ FC Barcelona) Lamine Yamal was one of Barcelona’s best players throughout the game, but particularly in the first half when almost every attack seemed to flow through his path. He capitalized on an early defensive error from the visitors and latched on to punish them with an early goal. Beyond that, he had his creative thinking cap on and put in some wonderful balls to find his teammates in promising positions.