Ranking and Grading Barcelona Players on UCL Group-Stage Performances
Barcelona kept their fans waiting, but for the eighth season running, the Catalans finished atop their Champions League group.
A sensational performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the final Group F game saw them become the first side to beat the French champions this season and secure first place.
Luis Enrique deserves great credit for the way in which he guided the team through to the knockout stages.
Let's take a look at how his players performed during the group stage.
Goalkeeper
1 of 8
Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Grade: A-
A nervous performance in Paris is the only blot on Marc-Andre ter Stegen's Champions League copybook.
The German didn't settle well against PSG and was at fault for Marco Verratti's goal.
Before and since, however, his performances were commensurate with his reputation as Germany's finest young goalkeeper.
In both games against Ajax and away against APOEL, Ter Stegen showcased an enviable skill set not dissimilar to former Barca No. 1 Victor Valdes.
Sharp with quick feet and in command of his area, Ter Stegen grew in stature as the competition progressed.
He could do nothing about Zlatan Ibrahimovic's opener in the last of the group games, but he performed adequately thereafter.
Right-Back
2 of 8
Dani Alves
Grade: A-
This season's edition of European football's premier competition has seen premier performances from Dani Alves.
That's precisely the reason why Martin Montoya and Douglas haven't featured in the Champions League so far.
Manchester United are, according to Joe Short of the Daily Express, willing to pull out all of the stops to sign Alves in January, and that would be a disaster for Barca.
With Montoya "100 per cent" leaving the club in the new year, according to Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror, it would leave Douglas as the only recognised right-back for the latter stages of the competition, which is something he is clearly not ready for.
Simply put, Alves must be retained until at least the end of the campaign. His dovetailing with Barca's attack is telepathic at times, and he is still the best man for the job.
Left-Backs
3 of 8
Jordi Alba
Grade: B-
Jordi Alba has been found wanting defensively against gold-standard opposition, and Luis Enrique needs to work with the player on his primary role.
Offensively, there is little to reproach Alba for; his supplementary presence in attack is often welcomed and needed.
He'll want to forget his performance in Paris, when Lucas Moura gave him a torrid 90 minutes, and it was probably with that in mind that Luis Enrique decided to leave him out of the final group game against the same opposition.
Against Ajax in Amsterdam, he was far more impressive. He will need to curb his wanderlust in the knockout stages of the competition.
Adriano Correia
Grade: C+
Adriano Correia has barely featured this campaign but slotted in well when called upon.
Against APOEL, the Brazilian was diligent, hardworking and reliable—as he was during a cameo sub appearance in the final group game.
That is what we have come to expect from this ambidextrous and capable player.
Centre-Backs
4 of 8
Gerard Pique
Grade: B
After a shaky start to the campaign, are we beginning to see a turnaround in Gerard Pique's season?
Luis Enrique appears to be putting more trust in a player who was frankly surplus to requirements in the early stages.
He scored the winner in the opening group game and was in and out of the side until the return fixture against APEOL.
He formed part of a back three against PSG and was excellent throughout the game, keeping the French side's attacking threat at bay.
It has certainly not been a vintage season from the elegant Catalan so far, but there has been a welcomed improvement in his game recently.
Jeremy Mathieu
Grade: B-
Jeremy Mathieu is in danger of becoming just a league player for the Blaugrana.
Perhaps his subpar performance in Paris has something to do with why Luis Enrique looked elsewhere in central defence for the majority of the group games.
He got the nod in the final group match as Luis Enrique tried something a little different tactically.
A solid performer when given a run of games, the Frenchman needs to up his game if he wants to see more minutes in the latter stages of the competition.
Marc Bartra
Grade: A
With his performances against Ajax in Amsterdam and at home to PSG, Marc Bartra proved that he is more than cut out for the big time.
In the games against the Dutch champions particularly and both games against APOEL, Bartra showed the maturity required to ensure a more permanent residency at the heart of Barca's back line.
If he continues to fail to get minutes under his belt, there will be no shortage of takers for his signature.
Defensive Midfielders
5 of 8
Javier Mascherano
Grade: A
Javier Mascherano continued to provide performances of the very highest quality during the Champions League group stage.
Played in defensive midfield and at centre-back, the Argentinian has been as professional and diligent as ever.
The first PSG game aside—in which almost all of the team were second-rate—Mascherano has been a standout performer.
Masche will be one of the first names on Luis Enrique's team sheet.
Sergio Busquets
Grade: B
Sergio Busquets plays at such a high level each and every week that it's very evident when he has an off day.
So it was against PSG in Paris, a game in which he was completely dominated in a congested midfield.
Injury gave him an excuse to step out of the firing line, and when he returned against Ajax, he was back to his old self.
He worked well alongside Mascherano in the final group match, going quietly but expertly about his business.
Sergi Samper
Grade: A+
Young Sergi Samper only played in one game during the group stage, but what a game it was!
Dominant doesn't even begin to cover his debut excellence against APOEL.
His 116 touches and a 93 per cent pass accuracy, per WhoScored.com, was far superior to any other player on the pitch.
Big things are expected from the only player to traverse every Barca level from under-six to the senior side. On this form, it's understandable.
Central Midfielders
6 of 8
Andres Iniesta
Grade: A
Andres Iniesta is another player whose injuries have restricted his minutes on the pitch in the competition thus far.
An ordinary performance against APOEL to open the campaign was overshadowed by one of his best games in a Barca shirt in Paris.
His assist for Lionel Messi in that game was exquisite.
Captain during his 101st Champions League appearance against Ajax, he was excellence personified once more.
He was taken off early in the final group game, perhaps because he was not fully match fit.
Xavi
Grade: A-
The Champions League appearance record holder is a player who still plays with the same intensity he would if it was his first game.
Xavi Hernandez has nothing to prove to anyone, yet he remains the ultimate professional and rarely allows his performance level to drop.
He only played for the last third of the game in Paris but showed his class in both matches against Ajax. He was also involved in the build up to Luis Suarez's strike, which took the game away from PSG at Camp Nou.
It will be interesting to see how often Luis Enrique uses him in the latter stages of the competition.
Ivan Rakitic
Grade: B+
Ivan Rakitic struggled to settle in some games for Barca, while running the show in others.
It is important to note that he still has fewer that 20 full appearances under his belt for the Catalans and will no doubt come good in due course.
He needs to toughen up against the bigger teams—he was too easily dominated in Paris—but he has done enough to appease Barca's notoriously hard-to-please supporters.
Sergi Roberto
Grade: C
To say we've hardly seen Sergi Roberto in the Champions League would be an understatement.
An unused sub in a handful of group games, the youngster only managed to get on the pitch for the first half of the opening game against APOEL.
His progression has been well and truly stifled, and it's unlikely he will be risked in the latter stages.
Rafinha Alcantara
Grade: B-
Injuries curtailed Rafinha's appearances in the competition, and a sending off against APOEL in the away leg ended his group participation early.
He did well enough against APOEL and Ajax when given minutes, but similar to Roberto, he is unlikely to make much of a dent in the team during the business end of the competition.
Wingers
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Neymar
Grade: A+
Neymar has been Barcelona's player of the tournament so far alongside Lionel Messi.
The Brazilian has shown a marked improvement from his performances last season, and an evident maturity has seen his importance to the side grow.
Aside from finding the net on a much more regular basis, Neymar's unselfishness has made him much more dangerous and a player who opponents are struggling to deal with.
His strike at home to PSG is Barca's goal of the tournament so far.
Pedro Rodriguez
Grade: B-
Pedro is unlikely to feature heavily in the competition from this point on.
Despite putting in a diligent shift in a new-look Blaugrana against PSG, it's obvious to everyone that he is no longer considered a starter by Luis Enrique. His cause hasn't been helped by below-par performances when handed starts by the manager.
Generally low on confidence and out of luck in front of goal, it has been painful to watch Pedro.
Centre-Forwards
8 of 8
Lionel Messi
Grade: A+
Lionel Messi was head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch in every game.
Even PSG had no answers to his genius, despite beating Barca in Paris. His goal in the French capital has to be one of the best in the tournament so far this season.
An assist against APOEL began his personal campaign, and a hat-trick against the same opposition gave him the all-time Champions League scoring record.
Another goal in the final match against PSG was a nice way to round off the group stage.
Luis Suarez
Grade: A
Luis Suarez only played half of the group games but made a difference with intelligent contributions in all three.
As his fitness returned, so did his form. His goal against APOEL was a reward for his industry.
He was excellent against Ajax, a game in which his assist for Lionel Messi put the game out of reach for the home side.
Another assist for Messi was his seventh of the season, and a poacher's goal sets the Uruguayan up nicely to be unleashed on Europe's best in February.
Munir El Haddadi
Grade: B+
Munir El Haddadi worked hard when given the chance, but he could perhaps do with a period out of the spotlight.
At just 19 years of age, Munir has a lifetime ahead of him in football terms and will only get minutes from this point onward if Barca succumb to injuries.
The youngster was unlucky to see a shot hit the post in Paris, which was the closest he came to a goal in this season's competition.
Sandro Ramirez
Grade: B+
Young Sandro didn't disgrace himself during his two substitute appearances in the competition so far.
As with Munir, experience is needed before the youngster feels truly comfortable at the top table of European football, but he can be pleased with his contributions so far.
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