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Barcelona’s game against Osasuna on Saturday night was far from as simple as many expected but not for the reasons one would fathom.
Heading into the game, the team were eyeing a historic record in La Liga under the new manager. Hansi Flick, however, was unaffected by the hype and deployed multiple rotations on the night and rested Lamine Yamal, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde and Raphinha.
Osasuna took complete advantage of the rotated Barcelona lineup in the first period, scoring twice through Ante Budimir and Bryan Zaragoza to head into the break with a 2-0 lead intact.
Pau Victor pulled one back early in the second period before Flick brought back his stars in Yamal and Raphinha to the field.
An untimely penalty, however, helped the hosts make it 3-1 and taking it out of Barcelona’s reach before a fourth added the cherry on the cake for the hosts.
Lamine Yamal’s wonderful strike from distance gave Barcelona hope but it was too little too late for the Catalans.
Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Osasuna 4-2 Barcelona.
Inaki Pena: 5
Faced with his first real test as a starter for Barcelona, the homegrown star conceded twice in 45 minutes against the Pamplona-based side.
While there was nothing he could have done against the opener, he slightly over-committed for the second and stepped too far out of his goal.
Conceded two more in the second-half but not much he could have done on either occasion.
Gerard Martin: 5.5
The academy star entered the lineup as a replacement for Alejandro Balde at left-back and struggled to keep up with Osasuna’s attack through the first half.
Faced against Pablo Ibanez and Ruben Garcia, he often found himself chasing after the Osasuna attack and was defensively very poor.
His distribution was another aspect of his game that disappointed at El Sadar as he often gave the ball away at the slightest of pressures.
Pau Cubarsi: 6
The youngster was tasked with leading a makeshift defence against one of La Liga’s most in-form teams and struggled to maintain his co-ordination with Sergi Dominguez.
Operated decently at an individual level and was flawless with his distribution, yet fell short as he struggled to cope with Osasuna’s counters.
Sergi Dominguez: 4.5
Thrown into the starting lineup to rest Inigo Martinez, the youngster adopted a very high line with Cubarsi and often saw the defence sliced open with a single Osasuna pass. Had more defensive work than Cubarsi but also was iffy with some of his distribution.
Dominguez conceded an untimely penalty for Barcelona (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Conceded a penalty late in the match which helped the opponents put the game to bed and helped them get out of sight.
Jules Kounde: 7
The French defender was sub-par by the astronomical standards he had set for himself and struggled to make attacking forays into the Osasuna area. Was put under severe pressure by Bryan Zaragoza defensively and failed to keep defensive control over his flank in the first half.
Much improved after the break, as he came up clutch with some vital interceptions and also pushed forward in attack to good effect.
Pedri: 8.5
Taking over the captain’s armband, the midfield phenom had massive responsibility on his shoulders on the field. While the team disappointed in the first half, Pedri was one player who shone brightly.
The Canary Islander once again took centre stage as a part of the double pivot but showed great skill time and time again to wriggle out of pressure and break free into space. In fact, he even came close to registering a wonderful solo assist for Torres early in the game.
Eric Garcia: 7.5
A solid display from the academy graduate who won 100% of his ground duels, and 87% of his passes and acted as a resilient fortress holding off Osasuna’s attacks.
Given his positioning, most of Barcelona’s buildup play went through the Spaniard who even orchestrated the play with Pedri.
Pablo Torre: 7
An impressive performance from the youngster who started in a central role behind the striker. Was instrumental in the team’s buildup phase in attack and helped absorb the pressure from Osasuna’s press, especially in the first half.
Spread his wings after the break with some fantastic combination play with Lewandowski and Torres and helped create some good chances before he was substituted.
Pau Victor: 6.5
Not a memorable full debut for Victor by any means as he had barely any positives to add to Barcelona’s first half in attack.
While he did record three dribbles completed, he lacked any end product and failed to provide any depth despite starting on the wing.
Scored a lucky goal from distance with a relatively weak shot from distance, surprising the Osasuna goalkeeper before the hour mark.
Robert Lewandowski: 6
The Pole did not enjoy much service in the first half as Barcelona were still finding their feet after the massive rotations. Was much livelier in the second period after the team began clicking.
Was presented with a massive chance in the 51st minute but failed to put it away.
Ferran Torres: 6
A terrible first-half from the Spaniard especially considering that he was supposed to be one of the more experienced and senior players on the field.
The former Manchester City star was unconvincing with his movement and passing against Osasuna and his first touch was beyond horrendous, regularly letting the team down and reducing promising attacks to nothing.
Earned an assist for Yamal’s late strike.
Lamine Yamal: 8
Came on as a second half substitute and scored with a wonderful strike from distance in the 88th minute. Unfortunately was a little too late to mount a comeback.
Raphinha: 7.5
Came on for the final 40 minutes and did well to orchestrate Barcelona’s play from behind the striker as he recorded four key passes in his short cameo.
