This was the performance of the Barcelona players in the draw at the Camp Nou (2-2) against Atlético de Madrid.
Ter Stegen: The German goalkeeper stopped a penalty to Diego Costa, but the VAR invalidated him because he did not touch the goal line with his feet. Then there was nothing he could do with Saul's subsequent release. He was about to stop Saúl's second maximum penalty, but in the end the ball escaped him by millimeters. He made two huge assists of almost fifty meters to Messi, demonstrating his great technique with his feet. He made the view in two plays, which fortunately did not end inside.
Semedo: Protagonist in the party. His incursions by the band were the most used resource by the team in the offensive phase. So much so that in the end the penalty in favor ended. Unfortunately, he was also the protagonist in the other area, touching Carrasco lightly, who later stumbled. The Portuguese winger is in an exceptional moment.
Pique: He suffered more than the bill to stop Carrasco, also having problems when it came to anticipation. They did a manual penalty in one jump, but it seems that the VAR has different criteria depending on the area you are in.
Lenglet: Outstanding in every way. They had to do with the most fit player of Atlético, Marcos Llorente, being clearly the winner in all duels. The French central defender was forceful and confident in most of his actions.
Sunrise: Irregular. He never lost face to the game, but suffered a lot for his band, where Simeone ended up putting all the meat in the offensive phase. Only on one occasion could he successfully connect with Messi.
Sergio Busquets: Stellar. International framing match. Perfect in all its actions, both in low phase and in high phase. Always attentive when looking for passes between the lines and recovering the divided balls. Strangely Setién decided to replace him in the 83rd minute with Ansu Fati.
Rakitic: The Croatian was never in the game. Badly placed, with few defensive solutions and even less in attack. Only an action of merit, in a recovery of a ball with a later shot that Oblak answered correctly. It was not at the same level as in his last games. It was Setien's first change.
Arturo vidal: The Chilean lavished on his innings from the second line looking for the goal, but without excessive success. Compendium of sacrifice and work in the field, their contribution is always vital for the team. Unfortunately, his momentum sometimes takes its toll, like the penalty he caused for his excessive zeal,
Riqui Puig: The best. Without palliatives. A game only within reach of a crack. Very complete when it comes to distributing the game, looking for pass lines and even finding superiorities. Her connection to Messi was simply magical. Also, the kid puts on his work overalls when he doesn't have the ball. At this level, removing him from eleven is simply heresy.
Messi: He scored his 700th goal as a professional as only the best player in the world can: with a smooth and measured shot by Panenka from the penalty spot. He was very close to beating Oblak up to two times, but sometimes the goalkeeper and other times bad luck, prevented his goal score from increasing. In the first goal, he had an active participation when he launched the corner kicked off by Diego Costa himself. He tried another time an Olympic goal and launched a corner kick, which was about to enter. He was very involved in the game and arguing with the referee on several occasions. He ended up seeing the yellow for impotence, when he kicked a ball that had been called for a foul.
Suarez: Wrong. Simple and hard. If against Celta their goals saved from an even greater debacle, against Atlético their contribution was nil. Slow, heavy, without dynamism, jumbled, little participative. At this level, Setién would have to look for other solutions in the squad, because it is more of a hindrance than anything else.
Substitutions
Sergi Roberto: It was located in the midfield, replacing a little successful Rakitic. He tried to give vigor and power to the game. He did it in part.
Fati: The striker tried, despite having just over ten minutes. It is a constant danger and should be more on the field. The hierarchy and the gallons of other players weigh, but you have to value performance above all.
Griezmann: It remains a shadow of what it was, but at least he showed self-esteem by going out to retrieve a ball that he had lost himself. He played four minutes and cost 120 million. Calculate yourselves …