Power Ranking Every Barcelona Player from the 2014/15 La Liga Season
Barcelona have already secured a 23rd La Liga title in this 2014/15 season with the Copa del Rey and Champions League titles still to be decided.
The campaign has been peppered with some quite breathtaking individual performances, although Luis Enrique and his backroom staff are likely to have been disappointed by one or two members of the first-team squad.
Let's assess the individual merits of each player, with rankings based on stats supplied by WhoScored.com and Squawka.com and how important and decisive the player has been.
26. Jordi Masip
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Jordi Masip has been beavering away in training, no doubt hoping to get his chance in the first team.
That was always unlikely to happen with the form of Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen being so good—until an opportunity presented itself on the final day of the season.
Masip had little to do, and he certainly couldn't be faulted for the two goals he conceded.
Back to being third choice again...
25. Thomas Vermaelen
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Thomas Vermaelen gets a cursory mention.
An injury-hit campaign and just one appearance in the last game of the season is all we have to judge the Belgian international on.
He did well enough on the final day to be considered as a future alternative in the back line.
If he stays injury free, Vermaelen could well become an asset for Luis Enrique during 2015/16.
24. Douglas
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Whether Douglas will go down as one of Barcelona's worst-ever signings is a moot point at this stage.
He is clearly unfancied by the technical staff at the club, where he was given just 73 minutes of playing time before the final game of the league season.
He actually acquitted himself well against Deportivo La Coruna, completing 25 passes with a 95 percent pass accuracy.
Despite barely featuring during 2014/15, he could become Barca's first-choice right-back next season.
23. Adama Traore
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Adama Traore continues to rip it up in the Segunda Division for Barca B, but the reserve side appear destined to a relegation to Segunda B with two games left to play.
Traore needs to be playing at a much higher level than that quite frankly.
The conundrum for Luis Enrique is where to put him in the senior side, and to that end, we may even see him loaned out next season.
Traore only played for 15 minutes in 2014/15, in an 8-1 romp against Huesca in the Copa del Rey. But he still managed to score his first professional goal just four minutes after coming on as substitute, per BBC Sport.
22. Sandro Ramirez
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A bold move by Luis Enrique to bring youngster Sandro Ramirez into the first-team fold.
Ten substitute appearances lasting just over three hours total playing time is as good as it got for the Barca B marksman.
He did score three however, including on his debut against Villarreal.
One for the future.
21. Munir El-Haddadi
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Munir El-Haddadi began the season alongside Neymar and Lionel Messi and his impact was instant.
A debut goal and super performance against Elche gave everyone hope that he would be the next product to roll off of the La Masia production line on a regular basis.
Sadly, he never quite hit those heights again despite being given as much opportunity as the manager could allow.
Only a loan move away now would stop his development from stunting completely.
20. Martin Montoya
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Martin Montoya has been a bitter disappointment.
In a season that should've finally seen the 24-year-old make a regular breakthrough, the youngster once again came up short.
When he had the perfect chance to knock Dani Alves from his perch, he failed to take it, and after a shaky start to the campaign himself, Alves never looked back once he got going.
Only a small number of players have fared worse in performance terms, per Squawka.
19. Adriano Correia
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Adriano Correia probably hasn't played as much as he would've liked during the campaign, but he has been the consummate professional as always.
Whether filling in at left- or right-back, the Brazilian is always giving of his best.
Having more yellow cards than goals and assists combined isn't a statistic that you would imagine he would want to dwell on for too long.
18. Sergi Roberto
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Another of Barca's heralded youngsters has been well below par throughout 2014/15.
Sergi Roberto has at least gotten a few games under his belt, and perhaps a studious development programme over a period of time is what Barca have in mind for him.
That said, he's still been pretty unremarkable when given his chances.
Fourteen appearances in all competitions, including nine as a sub, have yielded precisely nothing other than a high pass completion rate.
He needs to really affect the play much more if he wants to be considered as an heir to Xavi Hernandez.
17. Pedro Rodriguez
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Poor old Pedro Rodriguez.
This World Cup winner and holder of a Barca scoring record that will never be beaten hasn't really been at the races this season.
Battling it out with Alexis Sanchez in the last campaign for a front-three berth, Pedro was shunted even further down the pecking order with the arrival of Luis Suarez.
Although it would be three months before Suarez was given debut, Pedro's confidence was evidently at an all-time low, and this wasn't the player the Camp Nou faithful were used to seeing.
Only six goals in the season, but one a beauty against Real Sociedad, tells its own story.
16. Jeremy Mathieu
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The addition of Jeremy Mathieu to Barca's back line wasn't universally welcomed by fans or media.
Even ex-Blaugrana centre-back Rafa Marquez told Catalan radio station RAC1 (via Dan Adu-Gyamfi of World Soccer Talk): "I don’t think he has the profile to play for Barcelona and even less so for this price. Hopefully they’ll think well about this and if they’re going to splash out like that, it’s for someone who is actually worthwhile."
Hardly a ringing endorsement.
However, Mathieu has proved many of his doubters wrong with some studious defending and very important goals in the Clasico against Real Madrid and a diving header away at Celta Vigo.
15. Marc Bartra
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Marc Bartra still patiently waits his turn for a more regular tenure.
Of all of the centre-backs that could partner Gerard Pique, Bartra would appear to be the most natural fit, but he is rarely given the nod.
As with Sergi Roberto, you have to wonder if that's because they have time on their side and are being brought along gradually.
When you have a man-of-the-match performance as Bartra did in last season's Copa del Rey final, it's arguable that he's already made the grade required.
He has done superbly well all season, including providing a remarkable and important assist away at Ajax when setting up Lionel Messi.
14. Rafinha Alcantara
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Brought back to the club by Luis Enrique, who had taken him on loan to Celta for the duration of last season, Rafinha has performed as expected and is now a vital part of Lucho's squad.
He gives the Barca midfield something extra. Adept at the short passing triangles that we identify with the Catalans, Rafinha isn't averse to a more industrial style when necessary.
That's far from uncomplimentary about the player, Barca have needed someone with strength and who is particularly brave in the tackle for some while now.
A real warrior, the player puts in a decent shift whenever he is in possession of the shirt.
13. Jordi Alba
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If there is one thing that lets Jordi Alba down it is his penchant for ill discipline.
Six yellow cards is among the worst in the side, but most of Alba's have been for back-chatting the officials or kicking the ball away rather than poorly timed tackles.
It's a side of his game that he needs to rid himself of because he remains a wonderful left-back.
The speed and engine that Alba possesses allow him to adequately cover for other defensive shortcomings.
Like Dani Alves on the opposite side, Alba wants to get forward at every opportunity, and three assists isn't too shabby.
There are certainly no real challengers to his position in the team at this juncture.
12. Andres Iniesta
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A very mixed season for Andres Iniesta.
Much has been made of his lack of scoring prowess and even a noticeable lack of assists.
Yet there has still been much to admire about Iniesta's all-round game.
No one has mastered the art of the sweet caress of the ball quite as well as he has, and the guile and balance in play that Iniesta possesses is almost poetic at times.
His run and assist for Neymar's goal against Paris Saint-Germain has to be one of the best moments of a relatively disappointing season on a personal level.
11. Xavi
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It's with a heavy heart that Barcelona bid farewell to Xavi Hernandez after a stellar 17-year playing career.
Xavi himself noted that it was the right time to be leaving, telling a packed press conference, via FC Barcelona:
"It was the right decision to stay this year. I still feel important [to the team], but I think it's time. I need a change of scenery. I signed a contract with Al-Sadd [in Qatar] for two seasons and I have a very exciting project at the Aspire Academy. It's the ideal place to continue training.
"
Although his appearances this season have been fleeting in the main, we have seen on a number of occasions just how well Xavi continues to dictate the pace of a game and those around him.
It's not wrong to suggest that a game literally does revolve around him when he is on the pitch.
A 92.7 percent pass accuracy is the best in the team for those with an equivalent amount of playing time.
Irreplaceable.
10. Dani Alves
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Dani Alves has shown once again this season that he remains one of, if not the best right-backs in the business.
In the second half of the season particularly, the Brazilian really came into his own, providing assist after assist.
It remains a mystery why Barcelona were so slow out of the blocks in offering him a new contract, something which looks likely to come back and haunt them.
According to Tom Olver of Metro, who quotes reports in Spain, Alves will announce his intention to leave the club before the Copa del Rey Final, meaning that the Champions League final in Berlin will be his last in Blaugrana.
Another player that will be almost impossible to replace, especially given the lack of excellence in terms of back-up that Barca have in situ.
9. Sergio Busquets
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True to previous seasons, Sergio Busquets rarely grabs the headlines but is always important to the team.
A master craftsman, "Busi" always seems to make the right choices in play, and having him to protect the defence gives Luis Enrique so many options.
His last-minute winner against Valencia remains the only goal he scored during the 2014/15 campaign, but looking back now, how important has that strike become?
A real grafter who earns every penny and doesn't get anywhere near the credit of his lauded contemporaries, Busquets is a player's player. They all know how important he is at oiling the wheels.
Simplicity is genius.
8. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
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Marc-Andre ter Stegen may have felt rightly aggrieved at losing his place in pre-season to Claudio Bravo, but his contribution in the cup competitions has been equally as impressive.
Post-Victor Valdes, Barca would have been forgiven for worrying about how good any replacement would turn out to be, but as it happened the club have unearthed a gem.
Surely the eventual successor to Manuel Neuer at the international level, Ter Stegen has been brutally efficient in every game he has played bar a Champions League debut to forget against PSG.
A penalty save from Manchester City's Sergio Aguero is just one of many high points, and he, as much as any of his team-mates, deserves the credit for Barca beating a passage to two cup finals.
7. Javier Mascherano
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Javier Mascherano hasn't earned the nickname "El Jefe"—or "The Chief," if you prefer—for nothing.
A captain in all but name, the Argentine has been dependable all season long.
Eight yellow cards, the highest in the team, needs to be addressed, but if you take that competitive edge out of his game, you can bet Masche wouldn't be the same player.
A real powerhouse performer in each and every game, you can perfectly understand why the manager has Mascherano as Gerard Pique's preferred partner.
6. Luis Suarez
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Could Luis Suarez have done any more in his debut season?
Given that he missed the first three months and was then a little off key performance-wise for the next six to eight weeks, it's frankly astonishing that he has finished with such impeccable numbers.
Twenty-two goals and 17 assists in all competitions is worthy of a full season's output. One can only imagine how many he will score with a full campaign behind him.
The way he has adapted his own game to fit in with Neymar and Lionel Messi has been one of the plus points of the season, and the Uruguayan deserves huge credit for that.
5. Ivan Rakitic
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Signing of the summer?
Ivan Rakitic was a steal at €15 million from Sevilla, and the Croatian carried on his good form from his Andalusian days at Camp Nou.
A real workhorse performer who is versatile enough to play in any of the midfield positions with equal aplomb, Rakitic has brought a new dimension to Barcelona.
Transitionally much quicker now, Rakitic has been impeccable at both ends of the pitch. Whether it's a 70-yard run to win the game against Manchester City or a header off of the line to preserve a lead, Rakitic has been the man for all seasons.
A firm fixture.
4. Neymar
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A little underwhelmed after a disappointing first season in Blaugrana, the difference in Neymar's play during 2014/15 was marked.
Once the partnership with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez clicked, there was no stopping the Brazilian.
Confident, arrogant, incisive and often decisive, there are unlikely to be too many dissenters now to his signing.
He has taken his chances when necessary, and in a sign of his maturity, has been an assist provider extraordinaire.
No longer reticent to take on players in one-on-ones, we are beginning to see the player of Santos vintage with one huge difference. This time he is up against the best players in the world.
A future Ballon d'Or winner for sure.
3. Claudio Bravo
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Claudio Bravo has surely exceeded every expectation.
Although a keeper of note before his transfer from Real Sociedad, a season where he has only conceded 19 goals has to be beyond his and everyone else's wildest dreams.
A fully deserved winner of the Zamora Trophy, no keeper in the top flight has been close to such figures over the last 20 years for the amount of games played.
Despite being the wrong side of 30, Bravo has been agile and alert, and his shot-stopping prowess has been out of the very top drawer with too many game-winning saves to list here.
At just €12 million, Bravo's transfer has been tremendous value for the money, and if he continues to display the same characteristics, he could be Barca's keeper for years to come.
2. Gerard Pique
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Gerard Pique is back to somewhere approaching his very best form.
An early-season tete-a-tete with Luis Enrique was, in hindsight, the best thing to happen to him.
Players like Pique weren't used to being benched, and his face when sitting on the subs bench at Levante was a picture.
But such a hard line from the manager had the desired effect.
When Pique was restored to the team, there was to be no more larking about. We could go as far as to suggest that Pique has displayed the credentials of a future captain of the team during this season.
The question on a weekly basis now is who will partner Pique, for he has deserved his spot in the centre of defence.
Concentrated and excellent in every single game, Pique's level of performance this season has been in marked contrast to his time under Tata Martino.
If it wasn't for a certain Argentine, he would be the Player of the Season without question.
1. Lionel Messi
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Despite being the best player that Barcelona have had for years now, Lionel Messi still confounds just about everyone.
Year on year, the Argentine gets better and better and better.
Even shunted out to the right hand side of the front three from a more central berth last season, Messi has still managed to be the most dangerous player on the team—and by a distance.
Goals, passes, incisive runs at the heart of the opposition defence...there isn't anything that Messi cannot do on a football pitch, and he remains the fulcrum and the heartbeat of this Barcelona squad.
Setting aside his differences with the manager, he has dragged Barcelona to the brink of another treble which, if achieved, will perhaps rank even higher than the first.
A tour de force who shows no sign of resting on his laurels, defences around the world beware.
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