Barcelona recorded their eighth consecutive win in all competitions but were far from convincing as an own goal from Sebastian Coates earned them a 1-0 win against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Positives

Winning while not playing well is often said to be the sign of a good side. It's not clear just how good this Barca side will be under Ernesto Valverde, but they are finding ways to win matches. Not for the first time in recent weeks -- the Getafe and Girona matches spring to mind -- Barca found a way to win a game which could, in reality, have gone either way.

Negatives

It's hardly a new thing, but it has become more noticeable in recent weeks that Barca look heavily dependent on Lionel Messi. When he's either not at his best or pushed to the fringes of a match by the opposition, no one else steps up. Related to this is Luis Suarez's lack of form.

6 -- Valverde went more or less with his strongest side, choosing Sergi Roberto to fill in for the injured Ousmane Dembele. That was fine, but he didn't seem to react to how the match went. It was still in the balance after 80 minutes when he finally made his first change, replacing a tired Andres Iniesta. You could argue he should have injected some pace and width a little earlier.

Player ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 7 -- For the second game running, the Barca goalkeeper was one of their better performers. A lot of his saves were routine, but he made one super stop from Bruno Fernandes in the second half.

DF Nelson Semedo, 7 -- One of the real positives of this eight-game winning run. Back in his hometown, there was real excitement every time he got the ball. You can see why his new teammates call him the motorcyclist -- he doesn't stop getting up and down the right flank.

DF Gerard Pique, 5 -- He has not made the best start to the season and was easily beaten in one-on-one situations, especially in the first half. The clean sheet should do him well, though.

DF Samuel Umtiti, 7 -- A strong case could be made to say he's currently Barca's best central defender. Made one brilliant block in the first half and is the epitome of calm in possession.

DF Jordi Alba, 6 -- Wouldn't admit it as he's having such a good time with so much space but could do with some space in front of him on the left. That said, he's in good form and enjoying his football under Valverde.

MF Sergio Busquets, 7 -- Some lovely touches and turns, even if they often come with a certain amount of danger. Not at his very best but needs the players around him to up their level slightly.

MF Ivan Rakitic, 5 -- Created a chance for Paulinho late on, but until then had been poor. Misplaced passes and gave the ball away more times than he would care to count.

MF Andres Iniesta, 6 -- The question keeps getting asked: When will Andres Iniesta get a rest? Including Spain games, this was his ninth successive start. Valverde says he's "fundamental" and you "can tell when he's not on the pitch" but he's due a rest.

MF Sergi Roberto, 6 -- Perhaps the surprise inclusion in the side, the midfielder was a right forward with the ball and a right midfielder without it. Adds a directness to the side with driving runs from midfield, which is often missing.

FW Luis Suarez, 5 -- The Uruguayan's poor run of form continues. Got in the way of Coates, who bundled the only goal of the game into his own net, but his touch was way off on another wayward night. There was one brilliant pass to Messi, but he was eventually taken off by Valverde -- and didn't look happy about it.

FW Lionel Messi, 6 -- It's impossible to be as good as he was against Juventus and Eibar, for example, every week, but Messi's standards are so high you almost expect it. For the second game running, though, he was kept on the fringes, with Fabio Coentrao and Jeremy Mathieu blocking his best chances to score his 100th European goal for Barca.

Substitutes

MF Paulinho, NR -- Came on when Sporting were threatening an equaliser and swung the game back in Barca's favour. Almost scored but was denied by Rui Patricio when one-on-one.

MF Andre Gomes, NR -- Introduced for Sergi Roberto to kill time.

MF Aleix Vidal, NR -- Like Gomes, came on with little time left and was unable to make an impact.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by SAMUEL MARSDEN

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