Barcelona
Bravo – 7.5/10
The Barcelona custodian had a fantastic game, saving a number of shots.
Thomas Vermaelen – 5/10
The former Arsenal man was handed a rare start as Pique missed the game through suspension, but put in a horrible performance. He was run ragged by an inspired Malaga frontline and was ingloriously hauled off at half-time.
Adriano – 7/10
Barcelona utility man Adriano started the game as Jordi Alba failed to make the match-day squad due to an injury. He put in a mediocre performance, which was only resurrected due to his assist for Messi’s winner.
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Mascherano – 6.5/10
Convicted of tax fraud midweek, Mascherano narrowly avoided a jail sentence by paying a sizeable fine. However, his comical error helped Malaga get out of jail in the first half, and Vermaelen’s shoddy performance didn’t help him very much.
Aleix Vidal – 6.5/10
Having suffered a concussion midweek, Vidal recovered in time to make it to the starting eleven as Dani Alves watched on from the bench. Much like his comrades in defence, had a poor first half but followed it up with a better showing in the second.
Sergio Busquets – 6.5/10
Barcelona’s legendary midfield enforcer had a forgettable first half, which included his horrible mix-up with Mascherano leading to Malaga’s goal. However, he put in a solid show in the second half.
Andres Iniesta – 7/10
The Barcelona man started ahead of Ivan Rakitic and wasn’t completely on song against Malaga. Displayed moments of silky quality, but much like Messi and Turan, Iniesta didn’t pay the price for not operating at 100%.
Arda Turan – 7/10
Arda Turan is slowly growing into life at Barcelona, having been barred from playing for the first six months of his Barcelona career thanks to a transfer embargo. The Turkish international had a decent game.
Luis Suarez – 8/10 ‘El Pistolero’ is the most prolific striker in Europe at the moment, and laid on the assist for Munir’s opener in the second minute of play. Suarez had numerous chances to put his own name on the scoresheet and had a good game.
Lionel Messi – 7.5/10
Lionel Messi had an uncharacteristic game but scored the winner as Barcelona grabbed all three points – putting in a champion’s performance by grabbing all three points despite not being at full tilt.
Munir – 7/10
The youngster is benefitting from MSN’s injury and suspension problems and is already the top scorer in the Kings’ Cup. He grabbed another goal, meaning the shocking miss in the 4-0 win against Madrid is long-forgotten.
Substitutes
Mathieu – 6.5/10
Put in a much better performance than the man he replaced, and is surely not the worst defender in Barcelona anymore.
Ivan Rakitic – 6/10
Ivan Rakitic had a decent game for the time he was on the pitch.
Sergi Roberto – N/A
The young and versatile player has a bright future ahead, but he was brought on late in the game.
