Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona: 5 men who were poor for the Blaugrana

Modified Aug 19, 2019 06:06 GMT

Antoine Griezmann failed to impress on his competitive debut for the Catalans

#4 Nelson Semedo

Nelson Semedo is pushing for a permanent place in the team this season ahead of Sergi Roberto, who has been Valverde's first choice the right-back role. The defender's tenacity in defence and eagerness to attack makes him very effective in Barcelona’s system. Against Athletic Bilbao, he had the opportunity to showcase his skills to the manager and stake his claim for a first-team place. Sadly, he had a night to forget.

Semedo was easily overrun at the back in the first half and also failed to have an impact in the final third. He seemed a little off the pace and struggled to provide the width on the right flank.

The Portuguese international had shown signs of a growing partnership with Ousmane Dembele on the right-wing in pre-season, but against Bilbao, Semedo failed to combine with the Frenchman as well. He did improve in the second half, but it was all too little too late.

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Edited by Debjyoti Samanta