Barcelona: Ranking Best and Worst Barca Players for April
Barcelona have been sweeping all before them during April with almost all of their squad producing some of their best form to date this season.
As such, populating a list with their "worst-performing" players becomes quite difficult.
That said, there are still a few of Luis Enrique's squad that could do with a harsh dose of reality. If some of the players don't up their game, they'll likely be on their way out in the summer.
Barca's best five stand head and shoulders above their team-mates, and we've seen some quite astonishing performance levels from some of the main protagonists.
Rankings are based on a mixture of how decisive a player has been when on the pitch, and performance scores from both WhoScored.com and Squawka.com.
Let's take a look...
Worst: 5. Dani Alves
1 of 10
Dani Alves is close to signing a new deal with the club, according to Spanish radio station Cadena Cope (via Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal of the International Business Times).
Alves continues to operate at a higher level than his contemporaries in the position, but the competition he has for that right-back slot is negligible.
The news will likely be music to the ears of Barca fans if only for the fact that Alves' rivals for the role are clearly not up to it.
Two assists during his seven games throughout April is a reasonable return.
Worst: 4. Andres Iniesta
2 of 10
It's painful to see Andres Iniesta in this list, but the fact is he is still underperforming this season.
He's played in five matches during April but hasn't completed the full match in any of them.
He has just the single assist to his name, albeit from a fabulous mazy and dynamic run against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Unfortunately, he hasn't really got out of second gear for the Catalans, and that must be a worry for Luis Enrique and his management team.
Worst: 3. Pedro Rodriguez
3 of 10
Pedro Rodriguez has contributed in six games during April 2015 but has played the full 90 minutes on only one occasion, a 4-0 victory against Almeria.
That game provided him with his solitary assist during the month and his best performance score.
Goals, which hitherto have never been a problem for the player, have been sorely lacking. Pedro hasn't found the net since February 8 in the game against Athletic Club de Bilbao.
With Chelsea apparently interested in his services at £22 million, according to Mundo Deportivo (via the Daily Telegraph), Barca could well consider the deal given Pedro's lack of quality over this campaign.
Worst: 2. Sergi Roberto
4 of 10
As noted by Alex Harris of the Daily Express, the media once referred to him as "The New Xavi." Not anymore.
Sergi Roberto's Barcelona career seems to have stagnated, and like one or two others, he is rapidly approaching a crossroads in a professional sense.
Does he stay at the club and fight for his place or move elsewhere for regular first-team action?
Maybe the club will usher him quietly out of the exit door. After all, he continues to disappoint.
Through April, Roberto played four games, completing just one. Although Barca didn't conceded in any of those games, WhoScored note that his contributions were poor.
Worst: 1. Martin Montoya
5 of 10
You have to question why Martin Montoya decided to stay at Barcelona last summer.
Once that decision had been made then surely the player would go all-out to knock Dani Alves from his perch. That he hasn't come anywhere close to doing so shows a huge lack of ambition from the youngster.
Montoya has only participated in 11 games all season, with three of those coming in April.
Have there been any standout performances from him? No.
Best: 5. Xavi
6 of 10
Eight games in April, three assists and one goal, a spectacular strike against Getafe in Barcelona's 6-0 rout—Xavi Hernandez might be getting on a bit, but age hasn't wearied him.
Although he remains something of a second-choice now for Luis Enrique, he has proved time and again that he's still "got it."
Despite playing just 37 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, he still managed to pass the ball more than any PSG player had managed over the 90 minutes, per Benjamin Newman of 101 Great Goals.
It's with a very heavy heart that Barcelona fans have to accept that Xavi may be off to pastures new at the end of the current campaign.
Best: 4. Gerard Pique
7 of 10
One of the major success stories of the season, Gerard Pique has got better and better as the campaign has progressed and has had a fabulous April.
Of the six games he played this month, his best came against Celta Vigo, where a game-saving tackle underscored his man-of-the-match performance.
Purposeful and focused, Luis Enrique will be thanking his lucky stars that his man management skills at the beginning of the campaign have had the desired effect.
The question now isn't whether Pique gets to start, it's who will partner him in central defence. He's been integral to Barca's successes this season.
Best: 3. Neymar
8 of 10
April has been kind to Neymar.
The youngster is really coming into his own and forming a lethal part of Barca's epic attacking triumvirate.
It's debatable that any team has ever had all three of its forwards playing at the very top of their games at the same time.
The Brazilian participated in seven games during the month and was decisive in almost all of them.
Two man-of-the-match awards, six goals and two assists are evidence of some sterling application down the left side.
And the best part? The showboating is rarely on show now. A bona fide world-class player if ever there was one.
Best: 2. Luis Suarez
9 of 10
A perfect 10 score against Getafe is a fine way for Luis Suarez to finish the month of April.
Let's recall that the Uruguayan is still two months behind everyone else in terms of preparation, evidence enough of the hard yards that Suarez has put in since debut in October.
Suggestions that there was absolutely no way he could play in the same side as Neymar and Lionel Messi and be successful have been shown to be well wide of the mark.
His two goals in Paris against PSG were examples of Suarez at his very best, a player at the very top of his game.
Seven goals, three assists and two man-of-the-match awards. It doesn't get much better than that. Vamos!
Best: 1. Lionel Messi
10 of 10
Lionel Messi has played every minute of every game for Barcelona in April, and as usual he didn't disappoint.
Sky Sports' Guillem Balague even went as far as proclaiming that this is "Messi's team, coached by Luis Enrique."
Clearly once again, the Argentinian has been the main man, and seems to set the bar ever higher with each passing month.
His in-game intelligence is often peerless, and his performance against Espanyol in particular must rival his best of the season.
Six goals, three assists and three man-of-the-match accolades sees him just edge out Suarez for the top spot in this list.
Playing like this, you feel that silverware could be just around the corner again.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
