FC Barcelona ended their La Liga campaign on a disappointing note as they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Valencia away from home. While there was not much left to play for with the title already secured, it still would have been the perfect way to send Robert Lewandowski off in his final game for the club.
The Polish veteran at least managed to get his name on the scoresheet one last time in a Barcelona shirt, but unfortunately, it was not enough to give Barcelona the win in this game, and they ended their league campaign with 94 points.
Here are the player ratings for Hansi Flick’s team.
Starting XI:
Wojciech Szczesny: 6.5/10
The veteran goalkeeper did well to sweep up danger outside his box and looked composed when dealing with Valencia’s attacking runs. Despite conceding three goals, there was little he could realistically do about most of them in the second half.
Eric Garcia: 8.0/10
One of Barcelona’s standout performers on the night. His energy, aggression in duels, and overall defensive awareness were hugely important for the team. It became obvious just how much Barcelona missed his presence once he left the pitch.
Ronald Araujo: 8.0/10
Delivered a top performance in the first half with some crucial blocks and interventions. Beyond that, his passing and progression with the ball were impressive as well. Unfortunately, he had to be replaced at the halfway mark.
Gerard Martin: 7.0/10
He looked solid for much of the game, especially with Ronald Araujo by his side. Ended up taking a blow to the head that required extensive treatment and a proper bandage as well, but continued to play after that and was reliable for much of the game except for the closing stages.
Alejandro Balde: 5.0/10
As promising as he looked in the first half, especially with nearly getting a goal for himself, Alejandro Balde’s second-half disaster eclipsed most of his performance. Not the kind of display he needed here if he wants to show his worth to the coach.
Marc Bernal: 6.5/10
Had some promising moments, especially in the first half when it came to handling the ball under pressure, but was still ineffective in the grand scheme of things. Moreover, some of his challenges were risky, and one of them could have even given away a penalty, but he was fortunate in that situation.
Gavi: 7.5/10
His intensity and energy were both instrumental for Barcelona, and it was clear that he wanted to keep Valencia on their toes. Constantly competed for duels and made the opposition miserable, and one of his last-ditch tackles was potentially goal-saving.
Ferran Torres: 7.0/10
Looked lively whenever he got on the ball and always seemed eager to create danger. His effort on goal eventually turned into an accidental assist for Robert Lewandowski’s goal, and he remained one of Barcelona’s more active attacking players.
Dani Olmo: 6.0/10
Played well in between the tight spaces and looked to create something for himself and his teammates. Unfortunately, he was unable to do much during the game and ended up being rather quiet in terms of his final product.
Marcus Rashford: 5.5/10
Not exactly influential in this game, and a lot of his moments in the match ended up being quite frustrating. He looked threatening in transition, but most of the time it did not amount to much.
Robert Lewandowski: 8.0/10
In his last ever game for the Catalan giants, it was clear to see that the Polish ace wanted to end his stay at the club with a goal. Ultimately, he managed to get it and constantly thwarted the Valencia goal as well.
Substitutes:
Xavi Espart: 5.5/10
Had a respectable introduction after coming on in the second half, but his costly mistake eventually gifted Valencia another goal and hurt Barcelona badly.
Andreas Christensen: 6.0/10
The Danish defender did well to compete for the ball whenever possible and almost managed to find the back of the net as well late in the game.
Frenkie de Jong: 6.5/10
Really efficient with his distribution and did well to connect the Barcelona players. However, in terms of creating attacking threats, he was unable to do much similar to Dani Olmo.
Joao Cancelo: N/A
Not enough time or influence on the pitch to warrant a rating.
Marc Casado: N/A
Not enough time or influence on the pitch to warrant a rating.
