Barcelona vs Athletic Club: Player Ratings
Barça beat Athletic Club 2-0 at Camp Nou as Pedri ran the show and Raphinha scored again. Full player ratings and tactical breakdown from the win.
Of the five matches with the most xG generated in La Liga since Hansi Flick arrived, two have come in this start to the season.
Without a No. 9, Barça have already produced two of the most dominant attacking performances of the Flick era.
Joan Garcia: 7
A near-spectator afternoon behind a dominant Barça side. Athletic barely troubled him, with the visitors managing just 21 attacks into the final third all game. Still, he had some incredible exits off his line to save us.
Pau Cubarsi: 8
Yet again the standout progressive passer on the pitch. Cubarsi split Athletic's press more than once with balls that found Espart in behind the back line, doing exactly the kind of thing that makes him one of the best passing CBs.
Eric Garcia: 7.5
Operated as the extra man in build-up, dropping into that back 3 role to help Barça control possession from deep. Split two lines of Athletic's pressure with a superb pass to find Fermin - a move that should have ended in a goal.
Xavi Espart: 8.5
Another eye-catching display in the inverted role, tucking inside constantly to open passing lanes for Cubarsi and combining beautifully with Raphinha and Gordon on the overlap. He’s much more of a midfielder than a full-back.
Marc Bernal: 7.5
Bernal had some struggles playing as a connector in the build-up, but his defensive awareness was top. His pressure jumps helped retrieve possession numerous times.
Pedri: 9
The best player on the pitch by a distance. Played higher than usual, timed his positioning off the back of the midfield beautifully, had a goal chalked off, and still turned in the assist for Raphinha’s winner.
Fermin Lopez: 8.5
Kept scoring, kept combining, kept being impossible to pin down. Constantly interchanging with Olmo and Raphinha in rotation, he got on the scoresheet again and nearly combined with Gordon for a second in a slick one-two.
Lamine Yamal: 7.5
Erratic in the first half but grew into the game as it went on, hitting the woodwork and forcing a smart save from Unai Simon. Could easily have finished with 2 assists—a mediocre game by his standards still produced end product.
Anthony Gordon: 7.5
Continues to look like one of the summer's smartest signings. His movement forced Athletic's defense to account for him constantly, and his willingness to keep making runs opened up huge amounts of space for Yamal.
Raphinha: 8.5
Leading the line again and scoring the game's decisive goal, ghosting away from his marker before finishing off Pedri's pass. Not his most involved match in open play, but a captain's contribution when it mattered.
Hansi Flick: 9
Another tactical masterclass, built around Espart's inverted role and a front 3 that never stops rotating. The system let Cubarsi and Eric Garcia split lines from deep and gave Pedri license to play higher, turning a quality Athletic side into one that barely touched Barça's box.
