Sevilla FC – FC Barcelona 3-1

Spanish Supercup, 1st leg
14th August, CET 21:30
Venue: Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
Attendance: 38,921
Referee: Cesar Muniz Fernandez

Who topped and who flopped? Here’s what we think.

DEFENCE

Ruben Mino: The young custodian made his debut with the first team tonight and put in a good performance between the posts. Although he had a couple of nervy moments in the game, he made some good saves from the likes of Navas in the first half. Made a great reflex save to deny the charging Renato from close range. Was a tad unlucky for the Fabiano goal as the shot went between his legs. Let down by his defense tonight, but a promising display nonetheless. 6.5

Alves: He had a good first half defensively where he made a couple of good clearances and marked his man well. Made his trademark dashes down the flank but his crosses were wayward. Perotti got the better of him in the second half as the cross for the third goal came from his side. Involved in some superb buildup play for the Messi goal that was correctly ruled offside. Overall a disappointing performance at right back. 5.0

Sergi Gomez: Another reserve team player given the nod by the Guardiola and he slotted in the centre of defense alongside Gaby Milito. Brought the ball out of the back on a couple of occasions and was impressive defensively for most of the game. However he was responsible, along with the entire defense, for the goals conceded especially the third where Kanoute had a free header in the box. 5.5

Milito: He got an important block on a shot from Romaric in the first half after a scramble in the box. Made a few dashes into midfield to start the attacks. Passed the ball around well. Caught out of position for the second goal when he strayed far too wide on the left, leaving the defense completely exposed. Must shoulder the blame equally with the rest of the defense. 5.5

Abidal: Made a couple of forward runs down the flank to give his team some width. Had an intriguing battle with Navas throughout the game, as he dealt with his pace well in the first half, with the Andalusian winger finishing stronger. Failed to provide any sort of cover after Milito was caught out of position for the second goal. Looked a yard off the pace as the game entered the latter stages. 5.0

MIDFIELD

O. Romeu: The third debutant for Barca played in the defensive midfield role just ahead of the defense. Passed the ball around well although he did make a couple of mistakes losing out on possession. However, he did not get outmuscled by a physical Sevilla side. Was involved in the buildup for Barcelona’s only goal as he dished out a pass wide to Maxwell who crossed the ball to goalscorer Ibrahimovic. 5.5

J. dos Santos: The Mexican international started the game off well moving the ball around. Playing in the ‘Xavi role’ in midfield, his distribution was good. He made a good interception and quick pass to Maxwell who shot wide of the post. However, the youngster did show some inexperience as he picked the wrong pass on more than a couple of occasions. Withdrawn for Thiago in the second half. 6.0

Keita: Showed good workrate and covered a lot of ground on the night. However, his passing was not at its best and he lost possession quite a bit in the second half. Produced a save from Palop late in the second half with his effort from outside the box. An industrious performance but he could have done much better in midfield. 6.0

ATTACK

Bojan: Anonymous for large periods of the game. It just wasn’t the young striker’s night as he started the game at right wing. Had a great chance to give his side an early lead when he was picked out perfectly by Ibrahimovic, but his first touch was poor and he couldn’t get the shot off in time. Lost possession several times and was often outmuscled by Dabo. He had another good chance of scoring from an Abidal cross but he failed to hit the target. Probably would have done much better if he was played centrally or if he cut in from the left. 4.5

Ibrahimovic: Started as the central striker and put in an impressive performance. Created the game’s first real chance when he put a delightful through ball for Bojan, who scuffed the opportunity with just the keeper to beat. Gave his side the lead with a clever finish from close range after Maxwell’s cross found him in the box. Dropped back into midfield to receive passes and held the ball up very well. Had another chance to score when he showed some good footwork and smart play to get in behind the defense, but Palop reacted quickly to deny him a shot on goal. Withdrawn for Messi in the second half. 7.5

Maxwell: Started as a wide left forward. Provided the inch perfect cross for Ibrahimovic’s opener. Cut inside often and played some neat passes. Had a great chance to double Barcelona’s lead, but his shot went well wide of the post after being played through by Jonathan. Worked hard and got into dangerous positions but ultimately faded as his team lost control of the game in latter stages. 7.0

Substitutes:

Messi: Within a couple of minutes since his introduction, he produced one of his trademark runs beating three defenders and was ultimately brought down outside the box but no free kick was awarded. Played centrally and dropped deep to receive the ball. Looked dangerous when he came on and played some good passes down to the left flank, but didn’t make a significant contribution as the game went on. Missed an absolute sitter, by his standards at least, when he sent his shot over the crossbar from ten yards out. Put the ball in the net, but was in an offside position. 6.0

Thiago: The Spanish Under 19 international came on for Jonathan in the 65th minute and slotted in central midfield alongside Keita. Played some good passes, but didn’t really go for that killer through ball, preferring to play it down to Alves on the flank or Keita to his left. Didn’t make any mistakes, but did not do anything spectacular either. 6.0

Adriano: Brought in to face his old teammates with just a few minutes remaining. N/A

TEAM RATING:

Guardiola had limited options for his starting eleven with all the Spanish internationals not making the trip to Seville. He opted for an attack of Maxwell-Ibrahimovic- Bojan. Barcelona B players Romeu, Jonathan, Thiago, Sergi Gomez and Ruben Mino all played a part in the game to make up for the missing World cup winners. This was by no means a full strength Barcelona lineup with Messi coming off the bench in the second half.

The team started off well. Despite reserve players featuring, Barcelona had the better possession throughout the first half and played some good passes. Ibrahimovic and Maxwell had good games upfront. However as the game wore on, the makeshift defense was exposed by the hosts as Sevilla notched up three goals in the space of twenty minutes to turn the tie on its head. Poor defending in the buildup for all three goals is the reason Barcelona head back to the Camp Nou needing at least a 2-0 victory. The football was not at its fluid, entertaining, attacking best, but then again, this was a game where five reserve team players featured while Sevilla played their strongest starting eleven. A very average performance overall. 5.0