Player Ratings: Real Madrid v FC Barcelona
Soccer Laduma rates the individual performances of the Real Madrid and Barcelona players following the 4-0 thrashing at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid Ratings: Keylor Navas: 5 He was stable for Madrid but Barcelona put on a brilliant showing to put four goals past the Costa Rican goalkeeper. Raphael Varane: 5 Verane attempted only two tackles in the game, winning none of them and struggled to contain the threat of Luis Suarez for most of the game. Sergio Ramos: 5 He was stable but got exposed on a couple occasions although he won 80% of his duels in the encounter. Marcelo: 4 He was subbed at the hour mark, where he was somehow chasing shadows. Although, he squandered a great chance to bring his side back in the game at the start of the second half. James Rodriguez: 6 He was lively on his first competitive start in a long time, although overrun by a free flowing Barca midfield. He did have a long range effort palmed away by Bravo in the second half. Toni Kroos: 4 The German World Cup winner had a game to forget. When Kroos is out of the game Madrid loses control. He was afforded no time on the ball and completely overrun by the Barcelona midfield. Luka Modric: 6 He showed flashes of brilliance in a night to forget, but he did not see enough of the ball to have a greater influence on the encounter. Gareth Bale: 6 He tried his best but not enough and certainly didn't look match fit, which showed in his performance. Karim Benzema: 5 He didn't have much supply and failed to carve out chances, although he was another player who lacked matches fitness, which affected his sharpness in the area. Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 He largely frustrated by Barca bossing of possession. The Portuguese winger was isolated down the left flank. He has aslo now failed to score in his last three games for Real Madrid. Substitutes: Daniel Carjaval: NA Didn't play enough to be rated. Isco: 4 Didnt' offer much going forward. He was also sent off for a disgraceful boot to the knee on Neymar. Barcelona: Claudio Bravo: 7 Had an excellent game. Made seven saves in the game, almost all of them crucial. Dani Alves: 8 Won all of his tackles and setup one chance. He was brilliant throughout the right flank and did well to frustrate Ronaldo on a few ocassions. Gerard Pique: 8 Pique had the highest pass completion percentage of any Barca player, 96.1%. Javier Mascherano: 6 He thwarted the danger Benzema poses during his 30-minute cameo, but had to be replaced to due to injury. Jordi Alba: 7 He had a storming game both defensively and offensively. He also picked up the assist for Suarez's second goal in the second half. Ivan Rakitic: 7 The Croatian helped the Catalan giants dictate the flow of the game, he combined well with Neymar and Iniesta, but he missed a glorious chance midway through the second half. Sergio Busquets: 8 He had an excellent game, overrunning the Madrid midfield. He was lucky not to be punished in the first when he caught holding on the ball for too long. Andres Iniesta: 8 He was outstanding. He scored and assisted a goal in the Classico for the first time in his Barca career. Sergi Roberto: 8 It was probably the young midfielder's best performance in a Barcelona shirt, although he squandered a chance in the first, he did well to set up Suarez's first goal and was a constant threat going forward. Luis Suarez: 8 The Uruguayan continued his fine form this season, by bagging a brace with two well-taken strikes and he was a constant threat to the Real defence. Neymar: 8 He had to show his mettle in a game Messi started on the bench and he did not disappoint, as he found the back of the net and also picked up an assists for Iniesta's goal. Substitutes: Jeremy Mathieu: 6 Replaced the injured Mascherano in the first half and certainly held his own against the Real attack. Lionel Messi: 5 He didn't attempt to get involved too much, following an injury lay-off and the three points safely secured. Munir El Haddadi: NA Didn't play enough minutes to be rated.
