Ousmane Dembele bagged two assists as Barcelona breezed past Celta Vigo by clinching a 3-1 win at Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
Barcelona moved one step closer to securing second place in the La Liga table thanks to a 3-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Tuesday. The win has helped them extend their lead over Sevilla to seven points, with Los Colchoneros having a game in hand.
Coming on the back of a two hard-fought wins, Barcelona were not at their best and were only leading 2-0 at half-time thanks to some clinical finishing from Memphis Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. While the attackers did well to take their chances, there was a lack of consistency from the creators.
It was a topsy-turvy game for Barcelona in the second half. While they tightened their grip in the game with an early goal from Aubameyang to make it 3-0, Celta Vigo quickly pulled one back through Iago Aspas. The visitors managed to conjure up multiple goalscoring opportunities, mostly due to Barcelona’s own defensive frailties.
Celta could indeed have levelled the scoring if their attackers were able to take full advantage of their opportunities. And while Barcelona did manage to keep things tight at the end, their victory was marred by Ronald Araujo’s injury in the second half.
Here, at the Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Barcelona players in their win over Celta Vigo on Tuesday.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6.5/10
Returning to goal after coming back from a knock, Marc-Andre ter Stegen put in a good shift in between the sticks. He made an extraordinary save to deny Iago Aspas and was alert throughout the game. But his performance on the night was marred by the loss of communication with Ronald Araujo that saw the goalkeeper commit an erroneous pass that led to Celta Viga’s consolation goal.
? – Ter Stegen DENIES Aspas with a great save! pic.twitter.com/R71zQmo0zA
— ??? ???? ? (@TheEuropeanLad) May 10, 2022
Dani Alves: 5/10
Dani Alves was asked to start at right-back once again in light of Sergino Dest’s injury. It was not the best of display from the veteran defender, though, as he looked ineffective in possession. He struggled to bring the ball out from the back while his lack of mobility made it easier for Celta Vigo to create turnovers out wide.
Ronald Araujo: 5.5/10
Araujo’s loss of communication with ter Stegen led to Celta Vigo’s only goal of the night. He also gave the ball away once, leading to a chance for Aspas. Safe to say, it was not the most comfortable evening for the Uruguayan defender, whose clash of heads with Gavi saw him get admitted to the hospital. A night to forget for the youngster.
Ronald Araújo was taken away in an ambulance after he clashed heads with Gavi. pic.twitter.com/LMot6I8GW4
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 10, 2022
Eric Garcia: 6/10
Eric Garcia committed an erroneous pass that led to a second-half opportunity for Aspas. He was lucky as the opposing attackers were not able to make full use of that opportunity. Garcia didn’t look at his usual best and despite making some crucial interventions, he was far from solid, at the heart of the four-man Barcelona backline.
Jordi Alba: 7.5/10
Jordi Alba was by far the best performing defender in the Barcelona setup. The left-back made marauding runs forward, offering width and creativity in the final third. His ability to whip in crosses into the box, coupled with his technical prowess was critical in Barcelona’s approach. It was a surprise not to see him come out with an assist in this game.
Frenkie de Jong: 8/10
Frenkie de Jong was asked to operate in the number six role in the absence of Sergio Busquets. The Dutchman didn’t disappoint either, bossing the game with his fantastic ball distribution and efficient link-up play. He was defensively sound as well, thus playing a key role in helping Barcelona dominate the proceedings.
Frenkie de Jong's passes tonight against Celta. pic.twitter.com/MlR46Du6rx
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) May 10, 2022
Gavi: 7.5/10
Gavi initially had to operate in a double-pivot with de Jong due to the absence of both Pedri and Busquets. The youngster used his technical prowess to link up with teammates in the final third while occasionally releasing teammates with inch-perfect through balls. A promising display from Gavi, who had struggled with form lately.
Ousmane Dembele: 9/10
Ousmane Dembele was one of the top performers in this win for Barcelona. He produced a moment of magic to create the first goal for Depay while registering another assist for one of the Aubameyang goals. The winger is now leading the assist charts in La Liga despite missing 16 games this season.
AUBA DOUBLE!!
Dembele grabs another assist ⚡ pic.twitter.com/FgmZvjxXtm
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 10, 2022
Memphis Depay: 8/10
Memphis Depay operated in a central role, taking advantage of Xavi’s 4-2-3-1 formation. The Dutchman proved to be a handful for the Celta Vigo defence with his movements in the final third and seemingly telepathic understanding with the teammates around him. He was rewarded for his efforts with a goal in the first half.
Ferran Torres: 5/10
It was a poor performance from Ferran Torres, who struggled to make an impact on the left flank and was largely carried by Alba. He was subbed off at halftime, which isn’t a good sign for the player that has struggled with form after a promising start to life at Barcelona.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 8.5/10
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made his return to the starting eleven with a bang. His poaching qualities inside the box were extremely useful for Barcelona, with the Gabonese international making the most of two goalscoring opportunities. Aubameyang has now scored 13 goals since joining Barcelona in January.
Substitutes
Riqui Puig: 7/10
Riqui Puig should have started the game, to begin with. But he was introduced to the proceedings at the start of the second half, at the expense of Ferran. The midfielder did not let his chance go to waste, producing a wonderful display of skill and technique in the second half.
Ansu Fati: 6.5/10
Ansu Fati offered the skill and pace in the final third after coming on for Depay around the hour mark. The winger’s hunger to score goals could be useful for Xavi’s Barcelona going forward.
Clement Lenglet: 6/10
Clement Lenglet had to be brought in for the injured Araujo. The Frenchman was solid enough to keep things neat and tidy at the back, defending Barcelona’s two-goal advantage in the final thirty minutes.
Luuk de Jong: N/A
A late replacement for Aubameyang. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Oscar Mingueza: N/A
A late replacement for Alves. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
