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Hoping to end 2021 on a high, Barcelona made the trip to Sevilla for their final La Liga fixture of the year on Tuesday. The Catalan giants, who have been reduced to a mid-table club this season, needed to produce something special to beat second-placed Sevilla in their own backyard.
Unfortunately, Xavi’s men fell short once again and had to settle for a 1-1 stalemate at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
The first chance of the match fell kindly to Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Unfortunately, the Netherlands international scuffed his effort and failed to trouble Sevilla keeper Yassine Bounou. Ousmane Dembele and Rafa Mir then failed to hit the back of the net from close range.
The breakthrough finally came for Sevilla just past the half-hour mark. The hosts’ creator-in-chief Ivan Rakitic delivered a low cross into the area, allowing Alejandro Gomez to put his foot through.
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Barcelona came up with a reply just before the half-time whistle, once again from a set piece. Dembele swung in a peachy ball to the near post and centre-back Ronald Araujo rose the highest to meet it and make it 1-1.
Sevilla saw their defender Jules Kounde sent off after a tussle with Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba in the 64th minute. Playing with 10 men, the hosts defended tooth and nail to steal two points away from Xavi’s wasteful travelers.
On that note, here are five Barcelona players who failed to live up to their billing in the 1-1 draw with Sevilla on Tuesday night:
#5 Abdessamad Ezzalzouli
Deployed as a left-winger, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli was expected to take the fight to Sevilla on Tuesday. He used his pace well to beat the traffic, but could not emerge as the threat many expected him to be.
The youngster only completed two of his eight dribbles, gave the ball away 16 times, and could only manage to work the keeper once.
Ezzalzouli did create a couple of chances, but needs to be more proactive in front of goal if he wishes to challenge Ansu Fati for a regular spot in the playing XI.
#4 Eric Garcia
Barcelona coach Xavi chose to bench Samuel Umtiti against Sevilla and gave Eric Garcia a shot to impress. Unfortunately, the Spaniard once again flattered to deceive and was caught ball watching during Sevilla’s only goal.
Garcia was static in defense and rarely pushed forward to join Barcelona’s attack. He was taken off in favor of Clement Lenglet the 72nd minute following an injury scare.
#3 Gavi
Barcelona midfielder Gavi has been dominating the headlines in Catalonia over the last couple of weeks. The La Masia graduate had already announced himself before Xavi’s appointment, but the former central midfielder is now seemingly unlocking the youngster’s full potential.
Having scored once and set up another in Barcelona’s win over Elche last weekend, Gavi went into the match hoping for another man-of-the-match display. He started the game right where he left off last weekend, drifting in and out of opposition lines and dominating play in the middle of the park.
Gavi completed all four of his attempted dribbles and won 14 of 18 duels, emerging as a true workhorse in the middle of the park. He also drew seven fouls, the most by any player on the pitch on Tuesday night.
Unfortunately, Gavi came up a little short in the final-third, squandering a beautiful opportunity to win the game for Barcelona in the dying minutes. Gavi effortlessly slid between two Sevilla defenders, but failed to direct his header on target.
#2 Ferran Jutgla
Xavi chose 22-year-old Ferran Jutgla to lead Barcelona's attack on Tuesday night, keeping former Sevilla star Luuk de Jong on the bench. Jutgla roamed around, trying to get a feel for the ball, but did not pose any real danger to the hosts' goal.
The young Barcelona centre-forward had four shots, with only one of them landing on target.
Sevilla defenders did well to keep Jutgla from drifting inside and the youngster did not have the experience to beat their challenge.
Before being taken off in place of Nico Gonzalez in the 73rd minute, Jutgla only completed 17 passes, gave away possession seven times, and missed one big chance.
#1 Frenkie de Jong
While Barcelona skipper Sergio Busquets enjoyed yet another decent match, his partner Frenkie de Jong once again disappeared against a capable midfield. The Netherlands international was neither good in attack nor defense, and pretty much saw the match pass him by.
His biggest moment of the match came just before the 15th-minute mark when Jordi Alba’s peachy delivery found him inside the Sevilla box. Despite not being under considerable pressure, De Jong managed to fluff his chance, guiding it straight at Sevilla keeper Bounou instead of targeting the bottom-corner.
The 14th-minute attempt was his only goal effort against Sevilla on Tuesday night. De Jong also won only four of his nine duels, lost possession six times and committed two fouls.
