Almeria vs. Barcelona: Score, Grades and Reaction

Barcelona used second-half goals from Neymar and Jordi Alba to overcome an early deficit and earn a 2-1 road win over Almeria on Saturday. Luis Suarez came off the bench to assist on both tallies.

The question coming into the match was how a makeshift Barca lineup would handle a trip to the Mediterraneo to face a defensively sound Almeriensistas squad. The underdog had allowed just 12 goals in its first 10 matches of the campaign.

A busy stretch of fixtures caused Barcelona manager Luis Enrique to make some changes. As a result, the Barcelona bench was absolutely loaded with talent, as the club illustrated:

With Neymar and Suarez both among the subs, the onus fell squarely on the shoulders of Lionel Messi to lead the attack.

The action was a bit sluggish in the early going. Barcelona controlled possession but failed to generate any great scoring opportunities.

That changed in the 28th minute when a header from Ivan Rakitic forced a nice stop from goalkeeper Ruben. Messi had a chance to guide the rebound home, but his headed attempt found the crossbar.

The Blaugrana were seemingly starting to take over the match after that flurry, but Almeria was able to catch them with a perfectly executed counterattack. 

Barca was playing a high line when the home side quickly turned upfield. Fernando Soriano delivered an outstanding through ball to Thievy Bifouma, who simply used his pace to run by Marc Bartra and then easily slotted his shot past Claudio Bravo to give Almeria the lead.

WhoScored.com provided an interesting note about the tally:

After halftime, Enrique decided he couldn't wait any longer to utilize that star-studded bench. He brought on both Neymar and Suarez with the hope that they could provide an attacking spark.

Spanish newspaper AS was quick to point out that the tide seemed to turn in the second half:

Suarez nearly netted the equalizer shortly after the hour mark. Adriano spun in a corner kick that was deflected right into the path of the Uruguayan, who unleashed a rocket on the volley, but it was the second crossbar strike of the match for Barca.

Enrique then used his final sub to bring on Xavi as the desperation to find some type of creativity in the midfield reached a fever pitch.

The effort finally paid off in the 73rd minute.

Suarez received a pass in the box with his back to goal, made a couple of outstanding touches to break free and then slid a pass to Neymar. The Brazilian deflected the shot toward goal to level the score, as Almeria was unable to clear it off the line.

Infostrada Sports points out Neymar has already exceeded last term's league-goal total:

Suarez, who's still searching for his first Barcelona goal, continued to drive the attack. A nifty flick to Messi nearly led to his second assist, but it was another effort that found the crossbar.

Mere minutes later, that second assist did come, as the summer acquisition flighted in a pinpoint cross, which Alba touched home to give Barca the lead.

BarcaStuff highlighted Suarez's distribution skills since making his return:

"

Luis Suarez has given the assist for Barcelona's last 3 goals in the Liga #fcblive

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) November 8, 2014"

Messi had a chance to put the game away in stoppage time but was thwarted by Ruben. It didn't come back to haunt the visiting squad, however, as Almeria failed to find an equalizer.

Looking ahead, the international break is next for both clubs. They will return to La Liga action in a couple of weeks, with Barcelona taking on Sevilla and Almeria facing off with Granada.

That will start another busy period for Barca. It will play three matches in eight days, including two league fixtures and a Champions League clash with Apoel, and will seek better overall form.

Almeria Grades

Position	Player	Grade
GK	Ruben	7
LB	Sebastian Dubarbier	5
CB	Fran Velez	6
CB	Angel Trujillo	6
RB	Ximo Navarro	7
DM	Ramon Azeez	5
DM	Verza	6
AML	Jonathan Zongo	7
AMC	Fernando Soriano (off 68')	8
AMR	Thomas Partey (off 85')	5
FW	Thievy Bifouma (off 77')	8
Time	Substitutes	-
68'	Tomer Hemed	6
77'	Edgar Mendez	5
85'	Wellington Silva	5

Barcelona Grades

Position	Player	Grade
GK	Claudio Bravo	5
LB	Jordi Alba	8
CB	Javier Mascherano	7
CB	Marc Bartra	7
RB	Adriano	6
LM	Rafinha	5
CM	Sergio Busquets (off 66')	5
RM	Ivan Rakitic	6
LF	Munir El Haddadi (off 46')	4
CF	Lionel Messi	7
RF	Pedro (off 46')	5
Time	Substitutes	-
46'	Luis Suarez	9
46'	Neymar	7
66'	Xavi	6

Post-Match Reaction

David Ramos/Getty Images

Even though his side fought back to earn all three points, Enrique was far from pleased with the performance as a whole. BarcaStuff provided his reaction:

"

Luis Enrique: "Worst game of the season. Second half was a bit better, but more because of the players' desire than because of our game."

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) November 8, 2014"

"

Luis Enrique: "I don't know what happened in the first half. The result is the best thing, but the goals won't hide the things we did wrong"

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) November 8, 2014"

It's clear Barcelona has plenty of work ahead. The boss isn't going to let a comeback victory overshadow what was far from a display of top form on Saturday.