Barcelona 1-2 Real Sociedad: Player Ratings

Barcelona were officially crowned La Liga Champions for 2022-23 and lifted the trophy in front of their fans on Sunday night. The celebrations of the Blaugrana side ran deep into the night, but the game that preceded was far from impressive.

Barcelona appeared lax on the night and were indifferent to the result. With the title in the bag, Xavi Hernandez’s men never looked close to equalising the scoreline and the result looked written in stone for the better part of the game.

Three games remain in La Liga now, and it remains to be seen if Xavi drills into the players’ minds the importance of keeping the momentum high. After all, they have conceded four goals in their last two games now.

Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Barcelona vs Real Sociedad.

Marc Andre ter Stegen: 7

The German was left alone for Mikel Merino’s opener and there was absolutely nothing he could do better to have saved it. Was forced into four saves on the night including three from inside the box.

Alejandro Balde: 6.5

The youngster was shifted to the end of the defence for an experiment, and one could see that he was not as comfortable. He was less involved in the final third than usual and was not as effective with his overlapping runs.

Jules Kounde: 2

What were you thinking, Jules Kounde? The Frenchman has lost possession in equally dangerous positions regularly before but Ronald Araujo has been there to cover ground. With the Uruguayan absent for just one game, Kounde’s mistake led directly to the goal.

The youngster was deployed as a central defender on the night in Xavi’s shuffled defence. Needless to say, his performance did not help his case. Came off at half-time.

Andreas Christensen: 6

The Danish international was more reliable at the back and his distribution was impeccable again. Calm in possession and solid in the face of threat.

Jordi Alba: 7

The veteran started at left-back on the night to get some game time under his belt. He was arguably Barcelona’s best player in the first half with two key passes and six defensive actions.

Franck Kessie: 5.5

The Ivory Coast international received a rare start on the night considering Pedri’s injury and Gavi’s suspension. Was safe in possession, relatively dominant in defence but could have been involved in the buildup a tad bit more.

Sergio Busquets: 6.5

The club captain dished out one of his regular high-level performances in the buildup and dictated the play with nonchalance. However, there was a feeling that the team’s tempo could be better and that the Blaugranas were relatively poor in their pressure off the ball.

Frenkie de Jong: 6.5

De Jong was Barcelona’s most hardworking possession in terms of pressure when out of possession. Looked to break the lines occasionally but found it difficult with Real Sociedad’s tight lines.

Raphinha: 6.5

The Brazilian and Ousmane Dembele regularly swapped flanks on the night to keep the opposition on their toes. Played 63 minutes and completed two dribbles, a key pass and created one big chance.

Robert Lewandowski: 6.5

The Pole was effectively marked by Robin Le Normand and Igor Zubelbia against Real Sociedad and barely appeared to pose a threat in front of the goal. He missed one big chance and did not record a shot on target until late in the game.

Pulled one goal back for Barcelona in the penultimate minute with a well worked header.

Ousmane Dembele: 7.5

The Frenchman was far from his best, slightly rusty in possession and wayward with his finishes. However, his dribbling on the night was sublime and at times it appeared that he was the only player trying to challenge Alex Remiro.

The Frenchman completed a whopping ten dribbles on the night in addition to two shots and was Barcelona’s best player in the final third.

Substitutes

Marcos Alonso: 5.5

Did not have much work to do and was effectively eliminated from the equation for Real Sociedad’s second goal.

Ferran Torres: 6

The Spaniard was barely involved for the Blaugranas after coming on and struggled to even get a touch on the ball. Provided a great cross for Lewandowski’s goal from the far right.

Ansu Fati: 4

The Spaniard was not much better than his compatriot, completing just four passes in 20 minutes on the field.

Eric Garcia: NA

Came on too late to make an impact.

Pablo Torre: NA

Could not do much in his short cameo to warrant a rating.