Barcelona 3-2 Elche: Barca Player ratings as Blaugrana return to winning ways | La Liga 2021-22
Barcelona secured a dramatic 3-2 win in their La Liga fixture against Elche at Camp Nou on Saturday evening.
The game began with Barcelona dominating proceedings and creating chances from the get-go. Xavi's men took the lead in the 16th minute through Ferran Jutgla. The winger rose highest to head in Ousmane Dembele's whipped corner past Edgar Badia.
Less than four minutes later, Gavi scored a sumptuous solo goal to double the hosts' lead. Barcelona continued to dominate the rest of the first half, limiting Elche to just one shot on target.
However, Tete Morente pulled a goal back for Elche in the 62nd minute. He controlled the ball wonderfully before firing it in past a rather hopeless Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Morente then turned provider a minute later, setting up Pere Milla to level the score.
The game looked to be heading towards a stalemate, but Nico Gonzalez restored the Blaugrana's lead in the 85th minute. The midfielder latched onto Gavi's cut-back before firing the ball past a helpless Edgar Badia. Eventually, that was enough to secure a nervy three points for the hosts.
FULL TIME! #BarçaElche https://t.co/XKovjGb0KQ
On that note, here's a look at the Barcelona player ratings from their game against Elche:
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - 4/10
It was a rather unconvincing night between the posts for Ter Stegen. The goalkeeper was completely static for Elche's first goal, and managed just one save throughout the game. It was not the performance one would expect from a keeper of his quality.
Ronald Araujo - 5/10
Playing in an unfamiliar position of full-back, Araujo looked clueless and out of position throughout the evening. He left acres of space behind Dembele on numerous occasions, leaving the winger with too much work to do off the ball.
Eric Garcia - 6/10
Garcia had a pretty solid game. However, the centre-back could have done a lot better than what he eventually did. He was very calm and composed with the ball at his feet, and was also quite convincing off it.
Clement Lenglet - 5/10
Arguably the worst player in Barcelona's backline on the night, Lenglet was aggressive in his duels. He defended well for most parts of the game, but lapses in concentration was a recurring theme in his gameplay.
Jordi Alba - 6/10
Alba provided a constant burst of pace and width down the left flank for Barcelona. He played a couple of good incisive passes into the final third throughout the game. However, the Spaniard was strikingly exposed at the other end.
Gavi - 8/10
He was Barcelona's best player on the night,t without an ounce of doubt. Gavi scored a spectacular solo goal for the Blaugrana's second, but he was just as impressive with his pressing and buildup throughout the game. The midfielder was also the provider for Nico Gonzalez's winner.
Sergio Busquets - 7/10
Busquets maintained his composure and showcased great positional awareness to break Elche's plays down the middle. He did well to keep the game ticking for Barcelona, with his effortless and efficient passing.
Frenkie de Jong - 6/10
It was a rather underwhelming performance from a player of his quality. De Jong failed to drive the ball forward, and looked out of ideas at times. He was sloppy with his decision-making throughout the evening.
Ousmane Dembele - 7/10
Often forced to cover the space behind him, Dembele was still a constant threat to Elche's defence. He combined play well, and created a number of good chances for his teammates. He did that despite having to do more defensive work than he usually does.
Ferran Jutgla - 7/10
Jutgla initially seemed to struggle, but grew into the game quickly. He made some good off-the-ball runs, and was a constant menace for Elche to deal with.
💥 @Ferranett7 opens his Barça account!
#BarçaElche https://t.co/HFym1Vk453
The striker also managed to grab a goal on his first-team debut.
Abde Ezzalzouli - 6/10
He had a slow start, but grew into the game. The winger did well to exploit the half-spaces and progress the ball upfield with his brilliant link-up play. He's starting to look more and more promising with every game.
Ratings of Barcelona substitutes against Elche
Nico Gonzalez - 7/10
Gonzalez came on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Jutgla. He looked bright right from his inclusion. The youngster had one of his attempts cleared off the line minutes before he finally scored the all-important winner.
Riqui Puig - N/A
Coming on as a 76th-minute substitute for De Jong, Puig didn't play long enough to be rated.
Alex Balde - N/A
Balde came on in the 89th minute, and didn't have enough time make any sort of impact on the game.