Barcelona: Full Report Card for Every Position for October
October is nearly over, and what a month it was for FC Barcelona. From Champions League play to El Clasico, the Catalan giants had a lot to deal with despite playing only four matches during the month.
The Blaugrana won their first three matches of the month, defeating Rayo Vallecano 2-0, seeing off Eibar 3-0 and putting on a great display in Champions League group-stage play to beat Ajax 3-1. However, Barcelona did not have the perfect month and lost El Clasico 3-1, being outclassed by a very organized Real Madrid side.
With the month now coming to a close, it is time to look back on October and discuss just how things went for the Blaugrana. This article will serve as a report card for every position this month, while also revealing what the Catalans must do to improve going forward.
As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and comment section below and tell us how you think the month of October went for FC Barcelona.
All statistics are courtesy of WhoScored.com
Goalkeepers
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The month began brilliantly for the Barcelona 'keeper, with Claudio Bravo’s record of not conceding a goal still intact. He put in two solid performances against Rayo Vallecano and Eibar, bailing out the Catalans on more than one occasion.
Like the weeks leading up to this month, Bravo was the outright holder of the starting role. His presence and ability to lead the defense showed in every match, meaning Marc-Andre ter Stegen will have to work even harder to get his minutes under Luis Enrique.
Speaking of the German 'keeper, Ter Stegen only played one match this month, helping Barcelona defeat Ajax 3-1 in the Champions League.
It wasn’t the best night for the 22-year-old, who had very little to deal with but still managed to let the Dutch outfit steal a goal minutes before the final whistle. Though he looked strong for the most part, there were moments when he seemed a bit shaky and hesitant, which must change going forward.
The toughest match of the season so far came in the form of Barcelona’s 3-1 loss to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos received a penalty late in the first half, which allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to end Bravo’s shutout streak and level the match. In the second half, Pepe and Karim Benzema added two more for the home side.
Truth be told, Bravo’s defense let him down greatly in El Clasico, and it is hard to hold any of the goals against him.
While it wasn’t the perfect month for the Barcelona 'keepers, they played fairly well for the most part. The defense struggled at times, which made things harder for the men guarding the net.
Final Grade: B
Fullbacks
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It was a relatively quiet month for the Barcelona fullbacks, with Enrique balancing the play on the sides of the defense, but plenty happened in the four matches to get a proper grade on the position.
Dani Alves started and finished all four games this month and put in a strong performance in the first three contests. He showed his defensive abilities against Rayo Vallecano and Eibar, but he still managed to provide an assist in the latter.
The Brazilian resembled the same player he was a few years ago and Enrique was right to continue handing him starts based on his form. However, things were not the same in El Clasico.
Alves struggled to deal with Marcelo’s attacking and was a weak point in defense. Though he did look promising going forward, his frailty at the back cost Barcelona dearly at the Santiago Bernabeu.
At left-back, Enrique made a few adjustments that seemed to work well depending on the opponent.
Jordi Alba and Jeremy Mathieu both played two matches each on the left side of the defense and were fighting to start every game. It seemed as though Enrique was looking for ways to keep Mathieu on the pitch and limit how much the fullbacks attacked, but it wasn’t a perfect plan.
Alba played very well against Eibar and Ajax, and his attacking ability made him a real threat in both matches. His speed tended to make up for his positional problems, but he didn’t make many mistakes at the back.
Mathieu also looked very strong at left-back in Barcelona’s victory over Rayo Vallecano, but it was a different story against Real Madrid.
The French defender struggled to get forward and keep possession and his passing game was not at the level Barcelona needed against Real Madrid. By the end of the match, it was quite clear that Mathieu is much better as a center-back and that starting him over Alba was perhaps a mistake.
The Blaugrana fullbacks were great during their first three matches of the month, but their inability to keep Real Madrid at bay showed that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Final Grade: B-
Center-Backs
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The only way to describe the Barcelona central defense this month is to remember the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. One match saw the back line putting on a masterclass; the next saw them barely able to keep themselves from falling apart.
Gerard Pique played in all four matches this month but was probably the worst of the center-backs in October. After giving a man-of-the-match performance against Rayo Vallecano, Pique spent the next three matches struggling to deal with attackers and making several mistakes.
The Masia graduate did produce moments of brilliance, but they weren’t enough to cover for his mistakes, perhaps the most notable of which was gifting Real Madrid a penalty in El Clasico.
Jeremy Mathieu started one match in the center of the defense this month and was an absolute star. His leadership and understanding of the game helped Barcelona see off Eibar at Camp Nou, and it seems that he is the best pure defender in the squad.
The other two defenders who featured in the center of the back line for Barcelona this month were Marc Bartra and Javier Mascherano. Truth be told, Bartra was arguably the strongest center-back this month and played with a lot of confidence. He has proven that he deserves more playing time, but it doesn’t look like that will happen yet.
Mascherano started beside Pique against Real Madrid and did as well as he could do against the onslaught of attackers. The Argentine had a few big defensive moments at the Santiago Bernabeu, but he couldn’t do enough.
Other than Pique’s performances, the Barcelona defenders look strong overall. However, their collective play was lacking against Ajax and Real Madrid, and even Eibar created several chances at Camp Nou.
The defense still has a long way to go before they can be considered a strength for Barcelona. As of this moment, the back line is still the biggest weakness for the Catalans and Luis Enrique has to admit he has plenty of work left to do.
Final Grade: C
Defensive Midfielders
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Due to a an injury keeping Sergio Busquets out of two games this month, Javier Mascherano returned to his original position as a holding midfielder, where he performed wonderfully for the Blaugrana.
The Argentine showed that he can still play in front of the defense as well as anyone in the game today, and his quality allowed the midfield to not miss a beat with Busquets unavailable.
Honestly, Mascherano’s presence in the midfield gave Barcelona a more defensive edge against opponents, as he was able to drop deep and provide assistance between the two center-backs. However, his passing game isn’t at the same level of Busquets, which forced the attacking midfielders to do more going forward.
Busquets was able to start against Real Madrid, but it seemed like his injury was still affecting him.
The Catalan midfielder made two big tackles to stop Real Madrid counters, but he did little else. He played much slower than he normally does and was definitely not sharp enough to provide what Barcelona needed.
It is always odd to see Busquets put in a weak performance, but that was the case in El Clasico. Fans will be hoping that he can get over his physical problem and return to his best as soon as possible.
Until Busquets is back healthy, Mascherano is more than capable of handling the holding-midfield duties, while Sergi Samper is also ready to make an impact on the first team.
Final Grade: B
Attacking Midfielders
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Enrique tweaked the midfield in every match this month, using several different attacking combinations. Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Sergi Roberto and Ivan Rakitic all started at least one game, but not everyone had a good month.
In his limited minutes, Roberto failed to impress fans or Luis Enrique. While he did look sharp on a few plays, he was not able to make a constant impact in any game and left pundits still believing that his footballing future belongs away from Camp Nou.
On the other end of the spectrum, Xavi started three games in October and was absolutely brilliant. His vision and passing helped create chances for the forwards, and he was even able to get on the scoresheet against Eibar.
Xavi’s form showed that Ivan Rakitic is going to have to fight hard for a regular place in the lineup, something the Croatian struggled to do this month.
Rakitic started Barcelona’s match against Ajax and was arguably the weakest player on the pitch. He got lost in the system at times and was not on the same page as his teammates. As a result, he was dropped against Real Madrid. He came on late in the hopes that he would turn things around for his team, but he never did.
Andres Iniesta was his usual self this month, causing problems for defensive units and pulling opponents out of position. He provided one assist against Ajax and was as consistent as ever.
Looking at everything together, the attacking midfielders played quite well in October. Things were not perfect, but Barcelona cannot complain about how the midfield functioned overall.
Final Grade: B+
Forwards
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The Barcelona forwards managed to score nine goals in four matches this month, so it is safe to say they did their job well. Instead of separating wingers and strikers, we will group all of the forwards together due to the fact that Barcelona’s system allows the attackers to drift in and out of play when attacking.
Lionel Messi and Neymar continued their brilliant run of form in October. The Argentine scored three goals and gave two assists, and the Brazilian scored four times and provided a single assist.
The argument can be made that Neymar and Messi carried Barcelona this month. Had it not been for the duo, every game could have been much different, but they are going to need help in attack.
The South American duo can now be considered a trio after Luis Suarez made his official debut against Real Madrid in El Clasico. He assisted Neymar’s opening goal for Barcelona and looked dangerous during his 69 minutes on the pitch.
Though Suarez was not able to produce any magic of his own, his presence did make things difficult for the hosts, and it was evident that he will play a vital role for Barca once he has more minutes under his belt.
Munir El Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez continued to get minutes under Enrique and didn’t fail to impress. Munir managed to give an assist in his start against Rayo Vallecano, while Sandro scored round off the scoring in the victory over Ajax.
Though still teenagers, Munir and Sandro are fighting for regular minutes and are exciting to watch every time they step on the pitch. The future is bright for them at Barcelona, and Enrique seems to be handling their transition from Barcelona B flawlessly.
The only forward to really struggle this month was Pedro. He has yet to find his best form this season and it doesn’t look like he will improve much in the near future. He may provide defensive cover, but he is currently walking on thin ice at Camp Nou.
Take Pedro out of the equation and Barcelona’s forwards were absolutely stunning this month. Again, the forwards were not perfect, but they were exciting and efficient throughout October's four matches. Fans are still wishing that Barcelona would have been able to score more goals at the Santiago Bernabeu, but that is just the way it goes sometimes.
Final Grade: A
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