Ranking and Grading Barcelona's Players on Champions League Performances so Far
With just one game left in the Champions League group stage, Barcelona have their fate completely in their own hands.
Beat Paris Saint-Germain at Camp Nou and the Blaugrana will go through as group winners.
Lose for the second time against the same opposition and a slightly tougher round-of-16 game will await them.
Let's take a look at how each player has fared in European club football's premier competition to this point, grading them on their level of performance.
Goalkeeper
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Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Grade: A-
Still the go-to goalkeeper for the Champions League, Marc-Andre ter Stegen continues to impress.
Although he was squarely at fault for Marco Verratti's goal for Paris Saint-Germain, the German has redeemed himself well.
His performances against Ajax both home and away and at APOEL Nicosia were notable in that we saw for the first time how Ter Stegen's skill set works well within the set up.
As per Victor Valdes, the youngster was agile, alert, quick and played as much with feet as with hands.
Luis Enrique would surely have been pleased.
Any nervousness has disappeared from his game and he has continued to provide a relaxed presence behind the back four.
Right-Back
2 of 8
Dani Alves
Grade: A-
Only one man for this particular job it would seem.
Recent signing Douglas and long-suffering Martin Montoya appear to be well out of the picture as far as the Champions League is concerned.
But when Alves is in his current form, there's little point in rotating him for the sake of it.
The level of his performances perhaps gives Luis Enrique some food for thought, as if Alves intends to leave, as suggested by Colin Harvey of the Daily Star, then he needs to blood Douglas quickly.
That's because Montoya appears to be on his way, too, according to Catalan TV channel Esport3 via Weloba.com.
Left-Backs
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Jordi Alba
Grade: B-
Jordi Alba had an absolute nightmare in Paris and it's to his credit that he has put such a disappointing performance behind him.
Against Ajax in Amsterdam, he was particularly impressive, and Luis Enrique will be looking for more of the same as we work through the knockout stages of the competition.
The wing back positions can often be a weak point for the Catalans, so perhaps Alba needs to rein in his wanderlust on occasion.
Barca will be punished against the better teams if Alba doesn't discipline himself.
Adriano Correia
Grade: C+
Hard to adequately judge a player when he has played so little during the season.
A run out in the first group game against APOEL is as good as it's got for the Brazilian so far, but at least he hasn't disgraced himself.
No rustiness, just a seamless transition. As you might expect from such a capable exponent.
Centre-Backs
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Gerard Pique
Grade: B
In, out, in, out, you shake it all about, you do the hokey-cokey and you turn around.....
Such has been Gerard Pique's Barcelona existence this season. From one minute to the next there has been no clue as to whether Pique will enjoy any minutes at all.
The match-winner in the opener, left out against PSG, recalled for the first Ajax game, left out for the return, and finally restored for the trip to APEOL.
Is it any wonder his form has been patchy at best?
Jeremy Mathieu
Grade: B-
Luis Enrique has tinkered quite heavily with the central defenders, and Mathieu is another who has been underutilised at this juncture.
His UCL debut for Barca came in Paris, but it was relatively forgettable if truth be told.
The Frenchman needs a decent run in the side to prove his worth to the manager.
Marc Bartra
Grade: B
Could this finally become Marc Bartra's breakthrough season at Barca?
A decent run out in both games against APOEL and both games against Ajax has evidenced his importance to the manager. It was Bartra's persistence in the Amsterdam return that set up Lionel Messi for the opening goal, and he was important throughout.
He's finally beginning to show the form that everyone knows he is capable of.
Defensive Midfielders
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Javier Mascherano
Grade: A
Another success story this season—PSG aside—Javier Mascherano has been a defensive rock for Barcelona during the Champions League.
He spent the first Ajax game in his natural position of defensive midfielder, and then reverted to centre-back for the away leg.
That there was no noticeable drop in the level of his performance says much about the professionalism of "El Jefecito," or "The Little Chief," to give him his nickname.
Solid, dependable, excellent.
Sergio Busquets
Grade: B
Unusually for Sergio Busquets, he didn't really start his European campaign particularly well. Frankly, he was awful against PSG.
Injury ruled him out of proceedings until the second Ajax game where he acquitted himself much better. A performance more like the Busquets of old.
Still a lot of room for improvement, however, which perhaps was why he was left on the bench at APOEL. How often do we say that about this player?!
Sergi Samper
Grade: A+
Just the one game for a player many expect to be the future of the Barca midfield.
There can't have been too many better introductions at senior level, either. A total of 116 touches against APOEL, per Who Scored, meant that he was far busier than anyone else on the pitch.
A 93 percent pass accuracy gave a nod to the excellence we can expect from Samper.
A superstar in the making.
Attacking Midfielders
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Andres Iniesta
Grade: A
It's rare for Andres Iniesta to play badly, so when he does, critics are all over certain aspects of his game.
Nigh-on impossible to play at such a high level every single week, Iniesta does at least always try to produce his best work—and more often than not succeeds in doing so.
His sub appearance against APOEL was one of those occasions where he just didn't cut the mustard on the pitch. He wasn't bad mind you. Just ordinary.
Extraordinary would be a better way to describe his performance in Paris, where he was at the heart of everything good that Barca did.
He was captain for his 101st Champions League appearance against Ajax and was majestic once more.
Missed the returns in Amsterdam and APOEL through injury.
Xavi
Grade: A-
Some 145 Champions League appearances tells us everything we need to know about a player that has done it all in the game, but who still applies himself in the same manner as though it was his first game.
A 21-minute cameo in Paris has been followed up by some excellent work in the games against Ajax.
He is still an absolutely class act and it's sad to see him having to fight for minutes rather than being one of the first names down on the team sheet.
Ivan Rakitic
Grade: B+
Another player whose UCL performances have been OK, while not being fantastic.
Came up short against tough French opposition in PSG, but ran the midfield in both of the games against Ajax.
He's still finding his feet a little, but that's only to be expected given his new surroundings.
Sergi Roberto
Grade: B-
A player who, like Martin Montoya and Rafinha Alcantara to name two, should be getting far more minutes than he has.
The first half of the first game isn't really the way to go if Sergi Roberto wants to progress as a Barcelona player.
Rafinha Alcantara
Grade: B-
The Brazilian has been in and around the periphery mostly due to injury, but minutes against both APOEL and Ajax will have given Rafinha the confidence needed to go on and have a successful season.
A shame that two yellow cards ended his game in Nicosia prematurely.
Wingers
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Neymar
Grade: A+
Along with Lionel Messi, Neymar has gone above and beyond during this campaign.
A year to find his feet in Catalonia and now we see a marked improvement from the player of 12 months ago.
Direct, incisive and full of energy and verve, the Brazilian is offering a very significant threat from his left-sided berth at present.
Goals in Paris and against Ajax in the home leg have underscored a very high level of performance.
If he stays injury free, Neymar has the ability to become Barca's talisman in the later rounds.
Pedro Rodriguez
Grade: B-
By contrast to Neymar, Pedro Rodriguez has endured a topsy-turvy existence this season.
While he has nothing to prove to anyone, the Canary Islander does have genuine competition for his place, and if he doesn't up his level, then we could be seeing less and less of him.
Uninspiring against both APOEL and PSG, Pedro at least worked hard, albeit with little reward, against Ajax.
After being left out for the trip to Amsterdam, ex-Ajax man Luis Suarez took up his residency.
Centre-Forwards
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Lionel Messi
Grade: A+
Has been the player of tournament as far as Barcelona are concerned.
Messi has been decisive in every Champions League game so far. From the assist to Gerard Pique against APOEL in the group opener through to his hat-trick against the same opposition on Tuesday, Messi has been beyond reproach in every appearance.
His two goals against Ajax when the teams met in the return leg in Amsterdam gave him parity with Raul as the competition's top scorer.
The three in Nicosia elevated him to the top of the tree as far as that record is concerned.
The best. Ever.
Luis Suarez
Grade: B
Returned to familiar territory when selected to play against one of his old teams, Ajax.
He helped Barcelona to a significant victory, and an assist for Lionel Messi was the gloss on a super individual performance.
The Uruguayan finally got off of the mark himself against APOEL after a stunning turn and finish. The goals should flow from here on in.
Munir El Haddadi
Grade: A-
The youngster has done incredibly well for a debut campaign in Europe's premier club competition.
Munir's movement, work rate and understanding with his peers has been excellent, and it's easy to forget that he is still just 19 years of age.
Hitting the woodwork against PSG is as close as he has come to opening his Champions League account, but you would imagine that his first goal isn't too far away.
Sandro Ramirez
Grade: B+
Ditto his Barca B colleague Sandro.
It's hard to fault the striker for his contributions in his two substitute appearances in the competition.
Sandro's composure in possession of the football is evident, and his dovetailing with the rest of the attacking trident shows a maturity beyond his years.
He is definitely one to watch.
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