FC Barcelona 2-0 Villarreal: Hits and Flops | LaLiga 2018-19

This weekend, FC Barcelona defeated Villarreal at home by a two-goal margin and went straight to the top of the LaLiga table. They managed to stay on top going into the next matchday following Sevilla's draw with Alaves.

The Yellow Submarine never really looked threatening bar the one or two opportunities that they failed to take early on. Ousmane Dembele and Nelson Semedo caused problems from the right wing. After failing to take many chances, Barcelona finally took the lead thanks to a header from Gerard Pique. The closest that Villarreal would get to scoring was through Gerard Moreno. His shot deflected off the post.

A terrible miscommunication could have lead to a Villarreal goal but it did not materialise. Clement Lenglet neither cleared nor headed the bouncing ball to Ter Stegen. Both players hoped for each other to make the first move before Villarreal pinched it dangerously. The shot, however, was blocked by the defence.

Villarreal tried to play more possession than counter attacking but their attacks did not have the venom to threaten the defence. Villarreal introduced Carlos Bacca to add some attacking prowess but no impact was made by the substitute. Villarreal's frustrations were visible on the pitch as they made a few rash tackles on Busquets and Messi. Moreno and Pique simply wouldn't back down from a face-off.

Valverde substituted Arturo Vidal with former Barca B captain Carles Aleña. The Chilean was visibly unhappy on his substitution and winked at his coach before moving to the bench. The substitute made his impact to seal the game for Barcelona. Messi's through ball sent the midfielder in behind the defence before his delightful chip beat Asenjo.

Here are five hits and flops from the game.

---

#5 Hit: Arturo Vidal

Vidal played tirelessly for the 70 minutes that he was on the pitch

The Chilean was seemingly very unhappy with his substitution. Not only him, but the Camp Nou was also not impressed by Barcelona's coach for taking Vidal off. The crowd applauded Vidal off the pitch before while jeering Ernesto Valverde.

Aleña's introduction wasn't a mistake and was also a good decision. But it would have been better if Rakitic was taken out. Vidal ran tirelessly from box to box while being involved in build up towards the goal. He did a lot of dirty work in the middle of the park with his physicality. He won two aerial duels and made three tackles.

Vidal's tireless work was appreciated by the fans and he certainly deserved to play the whole 90 minutes. Vidal's box to box work makes him the engine of the team.

#4 Flop: Philippe Coutinho

The left wing is not meant for Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho was easily the worst player on the pitch. The reason could have been his unlikely positioning in the left wing. He looked really bleak during the build-up play. His reading of the game was really poor. He either misplaced his passes or failed to read the weight on the pass towards him.

He was dispossessed from possession on two occasions. His threatening curler from outside the box never came into action. He never made a key pass even after being in a forward position. Coutinho lacked confidence on the ball during the dribbles. Vidal and Dembele were more influential in the build-up than Coutinho was.

Valverde should either move Coutinho centrally or look to play him in the centre midfield because he is not really making it count on the left wing. He is not a fast runner which becomes a necessity in the wings. A disappointing night for the Brazilian.

#3 Flop: Gerard Moreno

All antics and no show by Gerard Moreno (right)

No Villarreal player looked good yesterday but while considering a flop, Gerard Moreno has to be the one. Simply because he was very much animated and was looking to make an impact more than others.

Moreno's Espanyol background might have given him the pinch of hatred that he has for Barcelona. Moreno was utterly frustrated by Pique's constant pressure but there was nothing wrong with any of Pique's tackles or blocks. Moreno also went forehead to forehead with Pique before sarcastically applauding the crowd when he was substituted.

As intense as he was, it was a poor showing from the former Espanyol man. He was floored many times by Pique and Vidal which left him frustrated. He was stripped of possession several times and had a poor passing accuracy despite trying only 24 passes.

Not the worst player on the pitch by any means but he has to be called a flop because of his unnecessary antics which turned out to be no show.

#2 Hit: Ousmane Dembele

Dembele caused a wreckage in the right wing

Criticise him as much as you like but he will be one of the top 10 best players by this time next year. He only needs to get more playing time in the right wing. Villarreal failed to squash the mosquito and he bit them in every way possible.

From the moment the opening whistle was blown, the right wing was set on fire by the Frenchman. Dembele was unstoppable on the night, completing an insane number of dribbles, combining well with Semedo and outrunning the Villarreal defenders.

His assist gave Barcelona the opener and he continued to run his heart out in the second half. There was an occasion when he ran from near his own box to pinch a ball which nearly rolled out for a Villarreal throw. Barcelona could have scored a lot more had he shrugged off his hesitation to shoot and find the final pass with better precision.

Nevertheless, it was a brilliant performance by the youngster and he needs to play more often in the same position. A man of the match performance.

#1 Hit: Gerard Pique

A solid defensive performance by El Presidente

Similar to Dembele, it was not long ago that Pique was being criticised for Barcelona's defensive errors. Pique was slammed for being too slow and too complacent at times with many fans calling for the replacement of Barcelona's veteran defender.

However, it wasn't always Pique's fault. The defence as a whole was weak. Pique delivered a clear message to rival fanbases, his own fan base and the critics that he is still one of the very best defenders in LaLiga. He smothered Moreno, not letting him turn or run free. He dealt with the high balls in the box well and made one or two important blocks.

Pique won three aerial duels and made three tackles. He also scored the first goal for his team but that was the cherry on the cake. His defensive efforts were more important. His performance was the reason that Barcelona kept a clean sheet. The biggest hit yesterday has to be Pique.