Player Ratings: Barcelona 6-1 Real Zaragoza

Barca returned to the summit with a rout at Camp Nou and Goal.com rated the players of both sides out of ten...

Oct 25, 2009 9:59:06 PM

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Keita, Barcelona-Zaragoza (Marca)

Teams

BARCELONA

Victor Valdes - 6: Made a couple of good saves when called upon. Should have done better for the goal but when Barca play like this he is just another spectator.

Carles Puyol - 6: Solid but not brilliant, got caught up the field for Zaragoza's goal.

Gerard Pique - 6: A good performance, one lapse of concentration in the first half could have been costly but Arizmendi's effort was easily saved.

Dmytro Chygrynskiy -5: Not a good night from the Ukrainian. Struggled to play the offside trap and let the visitors in on a couple of occasions. His concentration will need to improve against better opposition.

Maxwell - 6.5: Made Pennant look ordinary. Defended really well and got forward to great effect at times.

Sergi Busquets - 7.5: Busied himself in winning the ball back on the rare occasions Barca lost it. Was involved in a lot of Barca's intricate attacking play.

Seydou Keita - 9.5: An excellent, energetic display capped by three clinical finishes any striker would be proud of. A great performance and a fine hat-trick.

Xavi - 8: He makes it look easy. Completely dominated midfield and played some typically precise passes to unlock the Zaragoza defence.

Lionel Messi - 8.5: Normal service resumed from Messi. Terrorised the Zaragoza defence and beat Carrizo with a sublime effort. On another night he'd have had four goals.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 8.5: Two very good goals and was always available to his team-mates. His partnership with Messi is getting better.

Andres Iniesta - 8: Full of running and his tenacity alone ensured Barca never let up in their attacking play. Probably not at his best yet but still a very, very good game.

Substitutes:

Rafael Marquez - 5: Caught napping for the goal and nearly caught again. Needs match practice and being four goals ahead is a good time to allow for such mistakes.

Bojan Krkic - 6: Good to see him back in action. Showed some nice touches but not in it enough to influence the game.

Jeffren: N/A

REAL ZARAGOZA

Juan Pablo Carrizo - 6: It could have been ten if it wasn't for him. Had a thankless task trying to keep this Barca side at bay.

Ruben Pulido - 4.5: Struggled to cope with the incessant Barca attacking movement. Will want to forget tonight and quickly.

Pablo Amo - 5: Constantly under the pump and won't thank his midfield for not relieving the pressure even for enough time for a breather.

Paco Pavon - 4: Ibra completely out-muscled him all night and beat him swiftly to the near post for the fourth goal.

Javier Paredes - 5: Tried hard but it proved impossible to stop the tide of attack from Barcelona. Got roasted on a couple of occasions by Barca's fluid interchanges.

Gabi - 4.5: Put himself about early on with some strong challenges but he was completely outclassed over the 90 minutes.

Andre Herrera - 4.5: The best of a bad lot in midfield for the visitors but struggled to keep possession and spent much of his night chasing shadows

Jermaine Pennant - 3: Spoke beforehand of how much he was looking forward to playing at Camp Nou. He didn't.

Abel Aguilar - 5: Wasn't allowed time or sufficient possession to display his craft. Better in possession than he is looking for it.

Jorge Lopez - 6: Took his goal well and tried to give the Barca backline something to think about but along with Arizmendi, fought a lonely battle.

Javier Arizmendi - 6.5: Worked his socks off in the lone role up front and showed well when his side had possession but it was never enough to really trouble Barca.

Substitutes

Angel Lafita - 6.5: Offered something Pennant didn't. A real attacking threat. Made the goal and tried to add another. Was a good outlet even if the game was beyond his side when introduced.

Ewerthon - 5.5: Got into some good positions but didn't possess the necessary finishing touch.

Frank Songo'o: N/A

Paul Madden, Goal.com

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