Barcelona 2-0 Cadiz
In what appears to be a thrilling encounter, Barcelona came out victorious as we were forced to fight and earn all 3 points.
Clearly Cadiz didn’t come into todays game looking for a win, but rather a draw.
The first half was a dull game from both teams but a crucial save from Ter Stegen kept Barca into the game.
Barcelona had some golden opportunities to take the lead, with Koundé narrowly missing the final touch on Pedri's delightful diagonal ball into the box and Gavi hitting the crossbar in the second half.
The introduction of Ansu Fati & Ez Abde brought a much needed change to the tempo and dynamism of the home side, but it was starters Pedri & Gündoğan that combined impeccably for the opening goal late into the second half.
Pedri found Gündoğan in a half space and the German returned the ball into the box where Pedri ran into and with a first time sliding finish, beat Ledesma from close range.
Ansu Fati had his moments but got ruled as Lewandowski was found offside.
Moment later, Lewandowski set up Ferran Torres for a one vs one against Cadiz goalkeeper and he made no mistake in finishing the chances to get the score line 2-0
Not to forget Frenkie De Jong Masterclass as e controlled both the midfield while also heading
cover tracks in the defense.
Unarguably named Man of the match performance worthy.
Lamine Yamal the shining star. Only 16 years played 85 minutes today. He is a threat to opposition but needs to keep his head and feet sharp to be more crucial.
Frenkie De Jong & Romeu pairing is spectacular as it give De Jong freedom to drive forward without fear.
Balde was off today. While trying to push for an attack he lost most balls
Lewandoski not looking sharp lately but let’s not take away his assist to set up Ferran.
In essence getting all 3 points was vital for Barcelona as they gain momentum for their next fixture against Villarreal away from home on the 27th of August 2023.
PLAYERS RATING
1. Ter Stegen 7.5
Ter Stegen had an amazing game against Cadiz even though he wasn’t tested much. He had a crucial one on one save to deny Cadiz any goal. We saw him organizing his defense during set pieces and corner. Giving him 7.5 is fair seeing he wasn’t really test and keeping his second clean sheet of the 2023/2024 season.
2. Jules Kounde 8
Despite playing out of his position, Kounde had a solid performance against Cadiz as we saw him pushing ahead for attack leaving his defense for the likes of De Jong, Christensen and Balde. He almost scored a goal of his own but saw his effort saved by Jeremias Ledesma.
3. Andres Christensen 6.8
Andres Christensen didn’t have the best day but would get a rating of 6.8. He lost concentration at the back but thanks to the brilliance of Frenkie De Jong to cover up for his mistakes
4. Alejandro Balde 6.8
He join in most of the attacks coming from the left flanks but lost possession of the ball too much and had difficulties in beating his man while pushing forward. Definitely not his day.
5. Oriol Romeu 7.8
Oriol Romeu the player who came to replace the legendary Sergio Busquet. Although Oriol Romeu showed his worth as he covered and assisted the defense while on attack from Cadiz & Barcelona going forward to attack. His paring with Frenkie De Jong was super impressive as it gave De Jong the freedom to drive forward with the ball and create chances out of nothing for the attackers.
6. Frenkie De Jong 8.9
He had a performance worthy of being named the man of the match. He created the most chance, had the most long balls while also tracking back to help the defense. His pairing with Oriol Romeu proves to be working as it allows him the freedom to go from the defense to the opponent half without fear. Solid performance from the Captain.
7. Ikay Gundogan 8.8
A great signing for Fc Barcelona as he knows how to keep the ball and know when to release a pass. He was a maestro in the midfield orchestrating plays in the midfield. He is a great player which the youngster can learn from (talking about Pedri, Gavi, Fermin). His combo with Pedri to set up Pedri for the first goal of the game was beautiful to watch. What a great steal from Manchester City. He is exciting to watch out for this season.
8. Pedri 8.5
Despite breaking the deadlock in the eighty second minute, Pedri was magnificent in the midfield as he knows how to calm the tempo of the game with his brilliance. His link up play with Gundogan was beautiful as he beat Ledesma from close range with a first time sliding finish.
9. Gavi 7.5
Gavi is as relentless as the fox. He kept on pushing and forcing the opponent to make a mistake in front of their own half. He almost scored a goal as he saw his effort saved all thanks to the crossbar. He presses more than any other Barcelona player.
10. Lamine Yamal 7.6
Only 16 years of age and he put up a performance worth noticeable. Almost had a goal of his own but got saved by Ledesma from close range. He was a threat to the opponent defense. He just needs to keep his feet and head sharp to be more crucial. He is the youngest Barcelona player to ever start a game for Barca. A record previously held by Ansu Fati.
11. Robert Lewandowski 7.2
Lewandowski hasn’t been in the best form so far. His linkup plays with the midfield lately has been poor. Barcelona had 5 midfielders in the game and Lewandowski still found himself in the midfield. He hasn’t been a threat to the opposition defense. I really hope he picks form soon. Although he set up Ferran Torres for the second goal to kill any hopes it of from Cadiz
13. Ansu Fati 7.2
The introduction of Fati changed the tempo of the game as he was a threat to the Cadiz defense. He had his goal ruled out due to a VAR check that found Lewandoski who set him up offside.
14. Ezz Abde 7.2
Abde and Fati working together in the left flank is dangerous for the opponent as they can turn the game around effectively.
15. Ferran Torres 7.5
Ferran Torres replaced Yamal and 9 minutes later scored the goal that woke Cadiz from a dream of equalizing to a reality checkmate of 2-0. He has improved lately and I think he is a good backup striker until Vitor Roque joins later in January.
16. Sergio Roberto 6.5
He replaced Orio Romeu and moved to the right back position. Had a decent 11 minutes of game time.
17. Eric Garcia
He replaced Christensen and had 11 minutes of game time. Not too solid but he put in his best.