Eibar vs. Barcelona: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Barcelona moved 11 points clear at the top of the Liga table on Sunday by beating Eibar, 4-0, at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium.
Munir El Haddadi tapped home after seven minutes to open the scoring, then Lionel Messi capped his own driving run with a good finish to make it two before half-time.
The Argentine then won a penalty and converted to put the game firmly out of Eibar’s reach, and Luis Suarez iced his excellent performance with a great goal late on.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Lionel Messi, Barcelona
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As one might expect, the best player in the world was indeed the best player on the pitch on Sunday, when Barcelona defeated Eibar, 4-0.
He clipped a stunning pass over the top of Ivan Ramis for Suarez to square to Munir for the opening goal, then surged forward and drove his own effort into the corner to make it two just before half-time. He then converted a penalty he won himself to secure victory beyond all doubt.
Throughout the game, his ridiculous weight and range of passing were on show, continually finding Suarez in dangerous areas, and his mazy runs down the centre and right flank were unstoppable at times.
Loser: Ander Capa, Eibar
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Manager Jose Luis Mendilibar brought Ander Capa into the XI in place of the suspended Lillo. It was his chance to stamp authority over the position...and he blew it.
Barcelona’s second goal, scored by Messi, killed off the budding momentum Eibar had built and effectively ended any chance of a comeback. It came on the back of a poor touch and giveaway by Capa, which was then cruelly punished by the clinical Argentine. Minutes before, Capa had done superbly to overlap and force a shot against Sergio Busquets’ shins that trickled just wide of Claudio Bravo’s goal.
Later, he was nutmegged by Suarez in the buildup to the fourth strike.
Winner: Luis Suarez, Barcelona
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Suarez’s movement will forever be a big, big problem for defences, and Eibar failed to cope with his energy and directness on Sunday. He continually hit the channels and gave the option of a long pass, spinning in behind the central defenders and working both sides of the pitch.
His firm pass across goal for Munir’s opener was his 12th assist of the season, placing him at the top of the creation charts in La Liga for the season. He then iced the cake with a brilliant solo goal a few minutes from time, nutmegging Capa and holding off another marker before slamming home from inside the box.
It wasn’t as flashy a performance as Messi’s, but it was just as brutally effective.
Loser: Ivan Ramis, Eibar
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It surprised few to see Ramis, formerly of Wigan Athletic, struggling against this ferocious Barcelona front line.
Eibar pushed high up the pitch and pressed la Blaugrana in possession, trying to disrupt their rhythm, and that required a high defensive line. Once Barcelona had figured out how to avoid the press, they started dropping passes in behind for Suarez to chase, and that saw Ramis begin flailing as he chased—in vain—after the Uruguayan striker.
Few can live with Messi’s pinpoint passes or Suarez’s dynamic, direct runs, but Ramis was absolutely all over the place; he looked far less assured than central defensive partner Radosevic.
He picked up a yellow card for a badly timed challenge on Messi in the second half, then blocked a cutback with his arm to give away a penalty.
Winner: Munir El Haddadi, Barcelona
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With Neymar rested, El Haddadi got another opportunity to prove his worth as a Barcelona depth player. Unlike Capa of Eibar, he seized it with both hands.
It was by no means a spectacular performance, but he did keep pace with Messi and Suarez, show some nice touches, played some clever passes and netted the opener thanks to a well-timed run in off the edge,
His assist for Messi's first goal was as arbitrary as they come, but it means—statistically at least—he comes out of this match looking good.
