Barcelona V Real Madrid: Rating the Barca Players in El Clasico

It was a bad weekend for Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona side as Real Madrid all but secured the La Liga title with a deserved 2-1 win over their fierce rivals.

Too many big players underperformed in what was a must win game for the Catalans. Question marks about tactics and team selection followed the final whistle as Jose Mourinho left Camp Nou grinning from ear to ear.

It was the second loss inside a week for Barcelona, making tomorrow nights Champions League semi-final second leg with Chelsea a must win to save the season.

Here are the player ratings:

Victor Valdes - 5

The Barcelona shot stopper had a disappointing night between the posts. Made two excellent saves from Pepe and Ronaldo, respectively, but should have done better with the Khedira's opener and was too slow to come out for Ronaldo's winner.

Daniel Alves - 7

Their best player on the night, Alves didn't really put a foot wrong and continued to be a threat down the right when given space—unfortunately for Barcelona, that wasn't nearly enough as Madrid enjoyed a surprising amount of possession.

Carles Puyol - 4

Needed a big performance from a big player and he didn't deliver. Had a nightmare for the first goal and was outshone by stand-in defensive partner Javier Mascherano on the night. He has been a fantastic servant for the club, but starting to look as if his 34 years are catching up with him.

Javier Mascherano - 6

Again asked to play out of position by Guardiola, but didn't let anyone down with another assured performance from the ex-Liverpool man. Didn't panic under pressure and supported the attack whenever he could. Kept Gerard Pique out the lineup and looked far better than Puyol on the ball.

Adriano - 4.5

Poor game for the Brazilian and was at fault for the second goal when caught out of position. Was quiet throughout and rarely supported the attack when given the opportunity. Almost looked scared to cross the halfway line at times as the game passed him by.

Xavi - 6

Looked like he missed Pedro in the team, didn't look fully fit himself and was eventually substituted for Alexis Sanchez, perhaps with the game against Chelsea in mind. Tried to no avail to find the key passes and was visibly frustrated at Guardiola's decision to replace him.

Sergio Busquets - 6

Kept the ball relatively well but struggled to make any meaningful contribution throughout. Retreated into almost a centre-back role, but he wasn't the only one to go quiet during the game. Lacked composure at times and was booked for a bad tackle on Ronaldo early on, which restricted his effectiveness.

Thiago Alcantara - 6

The surprise selection that continues to be the talking point after the weekend. Cesc Fabergas was expected to get the start, but Guardiola had other ideas for this game. Did little to justify the faith put in him by his manager. Passing was poor in a game where possession was key. 

Andres Iniesta - 6.5

One of Barcelona's better players on the night, but it was a game of two halves for the Spaniard. Looked dangerous behind Messi and threatened to open up the Madrid defence on a several occasions during the first 45. Unfortunately, he was alarmingly anonymous after the break as the visitors took control.

Tello - 4.5

Another strange decision to give the youngster the start. There is no doubt that Tello has plenty of promise for the future, but this game was too big for the striker. Arbeloa ate him for breakfast, resulting in poor crosses and badly executed shots throughout. Had a hand in the goal, but more was needed in this must-win game.

Lionel Messi - 6.5

Rumours of a groin injury coming into the game were only fuelled by a surprisingly quiet game from the magician. Set up Xavi for a great chance early on but struggled to make his normal impact. Looked like he missed Sanchez up front and cut a frustrated figure throughout.

Subs

Cesc Fabergas - 6 

Only on for 10 minutes and didn't have a chance to make a telling impact. Will hope to get a recall for the Chelsea game tomorrow.

Alexis Sanchez - 7

Brought Barca back into the game with a scrappy equaliser and should have started the game. The Chilean could very well face Chelsea on Tuesday and will provide a big help to Messi.