Barcelona were always going to face an uphill battle after going down to 10 men early. Lamine Yamal’s incredible effort kept the Catalan giants in contention, but ultimately, Monaco deservedly came out with the three points.
With limited personnel, Barcelona struggled to maintain their usual pressing intensity, and the lack of third-man combinations in central areas—a hallmark of their play so far—left the backline exposed to Monaco’s constant threat.
Repeatedly troubled in transitions, Barça were eventually undone by a long ball over the top. Ter Stegen’s inability to deal with a straightforward shot aimed directly at him added to the frustration.
Flick’s tactical adjustments, while noteworthy, do not overshadow the deeper issue: the Champions League continues to expose the team’s psychological frailties.
The inability to impose their tempo and respond to adversity in Europe remains a recurring problem for Barcelona. That said, it’s hard to draw definitive conclusions from a game where the odds were skewed after just 10 minutes.
Ter Stegen: 2/10
One of his worst outings in terms of distributive quality, Ter Stegen was responsible for putting the Catalans on the backfoot as it was his horrendous pass that led to the sending off of Eric Garcia. Additionally, he made absolutely no effort in preventing both goals and made an abhorrent pre-meditated attempt at saving Monaco’s second goal. Every time he was involved, a mistake seemed to be an inevitability.
Jules Kounde: 6/10
Offensively lacklustre, Kounde was losing ball frequently against Monaco’s compact defensive structures on the flank. In spite of that, his level of defense was acceptable but he was often caught in greatly narrow positions which gave Monaco the opportunity to make offensive approaches from their left wing.
Inigo Martinez: 8/10
The Spaniard put forth an amazing display of defensive proficiency under difficult circumstances comprising of a great deal of vital blocks and clearances. Martinez was also able to maintain his influence by distributing the ball with a great deal of success despite being put up against Monaco’s cagey press.
Pau Cubarsi: 8.5/10
17 years old and playing in a 10 man lineup against a highly competent team on an European Away night, Cubarsi was single handedly negating all of Monaco’s attacks as he made block after block. Even against the Monaco press, his distribution was exceptional as he was Barcelona’s only hope at successfully playing the ball out of the back.
Alejandro Balde: 6.5/10
Made some intriguing runs straight at Monaco’s attempt which resembled the Balde of old. However, he failed to generate any threat much of which can be attributed to how greatly Barcelona’s offensive structure was hurt by going down to 10 men.
Marc Casado: 8.5/10
Marc Casado delivered yet another brilliant performance as he circulated possession with sheer composure and was not a frequent loser of possession against Monaco’s tightening pressure. It was his through ball over the top that allowed Yamal to run at Monaco’s defense and score Barca’s only goal of the game. Casado was also one of the few players on the team who showed some capability of making ball recoveries in the game.
Pedri: 8/10
Single handedly working the ball out of tight areas on such a frequent basis, Pedri was the only hope of Barca ever progressing the ball but their numerical disadvantage meant that Monaco could impose themselves physically to regain possession with very high probabilities of success.
Eric Garcia: 4/10
An unfortunate red card that completely disrupted Barca’s game plan. Nevertheless, Garcia cannot be entirely at blame as it was Ter Stegen who placed him in such a dangerous position.
Raphinha: 5/10
The Brazilian International was very wasteful on the ball and provided absolutely no offensive impetus on the game barring his solid cut back which was poorly shot by Yamal. In a game of such importance, Raphinha looked lazy and he got utterly outclassed by Monaco’s adept defensive positioning.
Lamine Yamal: 8.5/10
In a game where the Catalans dreaded for scoring opportunities, Lamine Yamal provided a moment of magic to score an absolutely stunning goal to level the scoring. Moreover, it was his through ball that fell into Raphinha’s path that put him in a 1v1 position against the Monaco goalkeeper. Yamal received minimal service and was trapped by 2 Monaco defenders at every moment he got the ball, yet he was able to make his mark on the game.
Robert Lewandowski: 5/10
Due to Barca’s clear lack of chance creation, Lewandowski was a non factor for the entirety of the 90 minutes. Even in the rare instances that he received the ball, he lost it with a poorly misplaced pass.
