One of Barcelona’s most dominant and entertaining performances in a long time culminated in a resounding 7-0 victory over Real Valladolid. Barcelona were compact in and out of possession, circulated the ball fluently and generated chances like clockwork.
Ter Stegen: 8/10
He confidently played out from the back and was rarely tested, but when called upon in the first half, he made a crucial save that ultimately secured his first clean sheet of the season.
Jules Kounde: 9/10
As usual, Kounde displayed remarkable composure on the ball, making smart, calculated decisions even under pressure. He capped off his performance with a stellar goal, capitalizing on a chaotic corner situation.
Inigo Martinez: 8/10
Inigo Martinez was hardly tested at the back with Valladolid left chasing shadows. Still, his incredible distributions deserve appreciation. His crossfield switches to Kounde on the right flank were superb.
Pau Cubarsi: 9/10
Few players can break lines with the ease of Cubarsi. His contributions during the build-up were instrumental in helping Barca dismantle the visitors’ first line of pressure. His assist for Raphinha ‘s opener was a moment of pure class.
Alejandro Balde: 8/10
He expertly maintained width by consistently overlapping on the left flank, effectively compensating for Raphinha’s tendency to cut inside and wreak havoc centrally.
Marc Casado: 8/10
Casado completed all 48 of his passes in the first half, barely putting a foot wrong. He was defensively sound and exercised his positional duties effectively out of possession.
Pedri: 9/10
This is the sharpest Pedri has looked since April 2022. Despite players swarming him from all directions, the Canary Islander was untouchable. He wriggled his way out of pressure with neat touches, created chances in abundance, and guided Barcelona’s possession. Simply one of the best midfielders to walk this earth.
Dani Olmo: 9/10
Olmo was impressive in all aspects except finishing. His movement was sharp, consistently creating great opportunities and putting himself in dangerous positions. He came close with some promising attempts, even hitting the woodwork. Eventually, he finally struck gold after dancing his way through pressure.
Raphinha: 10/10
While Raphinha was no slouch as an attacking midfielder, he truly excels on the left flank, where he feels most at home. His strength has always been finishing moves rather than orchestrating them, and today, his influence in the final third was decisive.
He consistently broke through Valladolid’s last line of defense with intelligent runs and complemented his street-smart movements with incredible finishing, securing a hat-trick.
Lamine Yamal: 9.5/10
An exceptional dipping ball for Robert Lewandowski secured Yamal the distinction of eight consecutive goal contributions. His dribbling under tight spaces, even when double-teamed, enabled Barcelona to always penetrate the Valladolid box.
Glided through the opposition defense from his own half to gift wrap Raphinha his hat-trick. Flick deserves a lot of credit for his usage of Yamal so far.
Robert Lewandowski: 9/10
With creators surrounding him from all directions and forwards enjoying the most touches, Robert Lewandowski is throwing shades of his Bayern Munich version.
He will often frustrate with missed chances, but the value of his movements and poaching instincts is truly coming to light in such a high-voltage system. Scored a great goal and was well-positioned in the box.
Substitutes
Ferran: 8
Fermin: 7
