Ter Stegen: Huge. Without any fissure in his game. And when the German goal did not arrive, fortune appeared in the form of a pole. Raúl De Tomas had three clear chances, but without success in front of goal. In footwork, more comfortable than ever and without ever giving away on the ball.
Mingueza: He continues to offer many loopholes as a defense, but he cannot be denied determination and desire. Some of his clearances led to Espanyol counterattacks. He was whistled by the stands for some absurd loss when getting the ball. In any case, he was seen to be more protected and solvent in his game.
Pique: Impenetrable. He had to fight a particularly belligerent De Tomas, coming out the winner in almost every action thanks to his anticipation. But the few times he escaped, the blue and white striker came very close to scoring.
Eric: Sensational in every way, both in defense and when getting the ball neatly. Quick and active in all your actions.
Alba: Good international game, especially in the first half where he was very active on the left wing, thanks to the help from Gavi in that lane. In the second half he was more attentive defensively and lavished much less in attack.
Sergio Busquets: Cathedral party of the Blaugrana captain. He moved the team as he pleased, he knew how to read the needs of the game and always found passing lines, both breaking between the lines and opening the field towards the extremes. He was substituted in the 77th minute. Legs have to be reserved for Benfica.
Nico: Until he had to withdraw from the field, he was performing a superb exercise of strength, power, momentum, grit and intelligence on the field. Always attentive to help with Busquets and facilitating the team’s combinative game, being the first when it comes to pressing without the ball. He tried a shot from outside the area, with little success, everything must be said. They stomped a book on him in the area, but the VAR tiptoed past. Too bad he had to retire at the end of the field due to discomfort.
Frankie de Jong: The Dutchman seems to have understood Xavi’s style book the first time. Spectacular in the recovery of the ball and powerful when breaking lines. It seems clear that the coach will hardly let go of such talent in the summer.
Gavi: You can’t ask for more from a 17-year-old boy. He played as a left winger, always trying to open the field and look for solutions, although his strong point was the recovery of balls thanks to his power in high-block pressure. He has plenty of talent and he only needs to believe it more in front of goal to have a real ‘crack’ in the making. He played 66 minutes, already thinking about Tuesday.
Memphis: Decisive, which is what is required of a player of his level. He caused the penalty, which he later scored and which in the end served to add the first three points of the Xavi era. Very active and dynamic throughout the game, he had several more occasions to have scored another goal, but between Diego López and the Dutchman’s mistake, none more ended up coming together.
Ilias: Excessively shy and intimidated in his debut with the first team. He hung on the right wing, but barely looked for the overflow or the one on one. Xavi was forced to replace him after the break. In any case, nothing to recriminate a 17-year-old boy who showed arrests and desire.
CHANGES:
Abd: Absolutely awesome. He entered the second part to turn everything around. Fast, intrepid, cheeky, wanting to have fun and like it. His game overflowed magic in abundance down the right wing. The stands cheered some of his plays, with improbable dribbles and centers measured within the area. Right now, he has won the title in the Champions League.
Coutinho: The Brazilian follows his thing. The arrival of a new coach does not affect him at all, neither for better nor for worse.
Riqui Puig: The one from Matadepera is starting to run out of opportunities. If with Xavi he does not take a step forward, many things will have to be reconsidered with him.
Iron: It made him want.
Araújo: He tried to put a bit of security in the last minutes, especially in the air game, since Espanyol only found that resource to try to harm Ter Stegen.