It just had to be Joao Felix. On Sunday, the Barcelona loanee showed exactly why he is still rated so highly despite everything that has happened in his up-and-down career. Playing against his parent club Atletico Madrid, Felix turned in his best performance for the Blaugrana to date, and bagged the winning goal in a 1-0 win for Xavi’s side.
Barca created a number of chances early, with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski missing clear opportunities to put their side ahead. Felix, though, grabbed the much-deserved opener, darting down the left and dinking the ball over Jan Oblak — and he didn’t hold back with his celebration, either!
The Portugal international was their primary outlet for the rest of the clash, as he darted at defenders, caused problems down the wing, and tracked back with the kind of vengeance he’s been lacking since he arrived in Catalunya.
And although Atleti made things uncomfortable at times, the Blaugrana looked mostly composed in key areas. Their midfield trio — Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong — simply played through the Rojiblancos’, and ensured that Barca never really lost their control of the game.
By the 76th minute, Felix was exhausted, grabbing the back of his hamstring, and half-limping off the pitch. For the first time since he arrived late in the transfer window, Barca fans rose to their feet to applaud what had been a special showing.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Inaki Pena (7/10):
Had little to do before making immense saves from a Depay free-kick and a Correa shot from point-blank range late on. Who needs Marc-Andre ter Stegen, eh?
Jules Kounde (6/10):
Moved back to a right-sided role. Didn’t have loads to do in a defensive sense, and kept the ball moving when needed.
Ronald Araujo (8/10):
Immense in the air, and put his body on the line with regularity. Loves these kinds of physical contests.
Andreas Christensen (7/10):
A late replacement for Inigo Martinez after the warm-up. Atleti tried to attack his side of the pitch, but he handled things well.
Joao Cancelo (7/10):
Completed a solid percentage of his passes, created one big chance, and got his defensive positioning mostly correct. Doesn’t have to be assisting every game to make an impact.
Midfield
Pedri (7/10):
Silky on the ball, composed in central areas. Still looked tired towards the end. Much improved after a rough run of form.
Ilkay Gundogan (8/10):
Immense at the base of midfield. Cut passing lanes, and broke away from pressure. Pedri did the pretty stuff, Gundogan went about the dirty work with aplomb.
Frenkie de Jong (8/10):
Impactful all over the pitch. Covered loads of ground and put in an excellent block to deny Griezmann shortly before half time. Worked well with Gundogan. He makes Barca tick.
Attack
Raphinha (7/10):
Really raised his level for the big game. Could have scored early on, and was a constant menace on the wing. Looked tired late — which was understandable.
Robert Lewandowski (4/10):
Missed a couple of chances early, and was handled far too easily by the Atleti defence. Should have made it 2-0 towards the end of normal time. Well off it.
Joao Felix (9/10):
Probably his best showing in a Barca shirt. Kicked around from the first minute against his former team-mates but it didn’t seem to get to him. Direct, skilful and a joy to watch at times. Took his goal wonderfully — and seemed to enjoy it, too!
Subs & Manager
Ferran Torres (6/10):
A good shift on the left to relieve a tired Felix.
Lamine Yamal (6/10):
Didn’t shy away from the physicality of things.
Fermin Lopez (N/A):
No time to make an impact
Xavi (8/10):
After a series of poor showings, Barca were excellent from the get-go. They created chances aplenty, got contributions from their main men, and held on at the end. A good day, right after a series of bad ones.
