Barcelona

Barcelona player ratings vs Almeria: Robert Lewandowski and Gavi FLOP as embarrassing defeat opens title-race door for Real Madrid

Thomas Hindle
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Robert Lewandowski Barcelona 2022-23
Xavi's side suffered a second damaging defeat in the space of four days as they put in a miserable display on Sunday

Robert Lewandowski failed to make and impact while Gavi didn't create much as Barcelona suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to 19th-placed Almeria to allow Real Madrid back into La Liga's title race.

Almeria took the lead against the run of play, with El Bilal Toure lashing a shot in off the bar after running through on goal.

Barca pushed for an equaliser before half time, but failed to carve out a clear opening against a dogged Almeria back line.

The Blaugrana looked void of ideas after the break and lacked movement in the final third — with Robert Lewandowski often caught static.

Madrid are still seven points behind Xavi's league-leaders, but the door is back open after it looked like it might be about to shut on the defending champions.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Estadio Mediterraneo...

Editors' Picks

  1. Goalkeeper & Defence
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    Goalkeeper & Defence

    Marc Andre ter Stegen (6/10):

    Couldn't do anything about Toure's fantastic strike. Solid otherwise, with one impressive save at the end.

    Sergi Roberto (5/10):

    Looked eager to get forward and had very few defensive responsibilities.

    Andreas Christensen (5/10):

    Lost Toure on the goal in pretty much his only serious defensive task.

    Eric Garcia (5/10):

    Unsteady when put under pressure. Showed exactly why he's not in contention for a starting spot.

    Jordi Alba (5/10):

    Started well, but looked leggy in his first La Liga start in two weeks. Didn't recover quickly enough for Almeria's opener.

  2. Midfield

    Franck Kessie (5/10):

    Didn't get forward consistently enough and played only one pass into the final third. Deservedly removed at half-time.

    Sergio Busquets (5/10):

    Did all of the standard defensive stuff, but was loose in possession.

    Frenkie de Jong (6/10):

    Followed one of his best showings of the season with an underwhelming performance. Lots of nice stuff, little tangible impact.

  4. Attack
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    Attack

    Ferran Torres (5/10):

    Promising against Manchester United on Thursday, ineffective against Almeria on Sunday. Switched flanks at half-time to no avail.

    Robert Lewandowski (4/10):

    Was bought to impact these kinds of games. However, Lewandowski was nowhere to be found, and missed a few good chances.

    Gavi (3/10):

    Very poor. Didn't get on the ball enough, lost his temper, and was fortunate not to be sent off for dissent. Is now suspended for the next league game, too.

  5. Subs & Manager
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    Subs & Manager

    Raphinha (6/10):

    Offered some extra legs in the second half. Looked lively early, but crumbled late on.

    Marcos Alonso (6/10):

    Replaced a leggy Alba, didn't have much to do.

    Ronald Araujo (4/10):

    Played as a striker in the final minutes of the game. Missed three chances, mostly because he isn't a striker.

    Angel Alarcon (6/10):

    Put a shot on target in his La Liga debut.

    Pablo Torre (6/10):

    Energtic, looked to make things happen. Shouldn't be tasked with turning these games around.

    Xavi (3/10):

    Made a number of changes after an exhausting fixture on Thursday, but couldn't get a performance out of his team. Barca looked tired, and failed to score against La Liga's second-worst defence. Embarrassing.