Tottenham player ratings vs Barcelona: Who impressed and who did not?
It was Lionel Messi who ran the show at the Wembley as Barcelona thumped Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 on matchday two of the Champions League.
Philippe Coutinho took advantage of some horrible goalkeeping by Hugo Lloris and put the ball into an open net to give Barcelona the lead before Ivan Rakitic’s wonderful volley made it 2-0 at the 28th-minute mark.
Although Harry Kane pulled one back for the home team, it was Lionel Messi who reigned supreme in the second half. Messi made it 3-1 with a deft finish before Erik Lamela found the net with a deflected shot to reduce the deficit.
But Messi once again had the last say as he punished some terrible defending to make it 4-2 in favour of the visitors.
The defeat at Wembley leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s men in a bit of bother after a 2-1 loss at the hands of Inter Milan on matchday one. The Lilywhites will have to get their campaign back on track when they make the trip to the Netherlands to face PSV Eindhoven.
Tottenham player ratings
Hugo Lloris (4/10)
The Frenchman had a night to forget on his return from injury. His error of judgement led to the first goal and could have cost his team another in the second half.
Kieran Trippier (5/10)
Struggled to deal with Jordi Alba’s overlapping runs. Did not do well defensively but influenced the game with some good deliveries from the right.
Toby Alderweireld (5/10)
Couldn’t deal with Luis Suarez and company. Made a good tackle in the second half to keep Spurs alive.
Davinson Sanchez (3/10)
Embarrassed by Barcelona’s tactical movements off the ball in the final third. Played a part in almost all the goals; poorest of the lot.
Ben Davies (6/10)
Just like his fellow defenders, failed to deal with Barcelona’s superiority in the final third but looked much more comfortable going forward.
Victor Wanyama (4/10)
Slotted into the central midfield role ahead of Eric Dier and had no answer to Barcelona’s passing and movement in the midfield. Showed poor situational awareness and was always out of position.
Harry Winks (6/10)
The youngster did a much better job than Wanyama; lively in the midfield and had a positive influence on the game with his energy.
Lucas Moura (5/10)
After a good start to the season, the Brazilian seems to have run out of gas; fired a good shot on goal but didn’t really influence the game much.
Heung-Min Son (6/10)
The Korean put in the hard yards and worked tirelessly without much end product.
Erik Lamela (6/10)
Quite lively in the final third and caused some worries for Nelson Semedo. Reduced the deficit with a deflected shot.
Harry Kane ( 7/10)
Put in the hard yards in front of goal and gave the home team some hope with a superb individual effort in the second half. Did not get much supply from the midfield to really trouble the defenders.
Substitutes
Eric Dier (6/10)
Much more composed than Wanyama and tried to dictate proceedings in the midfield.
Read More:- 2 tackles and 2 key passes – This versatile superstar holds the key to Tottenham’s success against Barcelona
Moussa Sissoko (4/10)
Found himself in a promising position in front of goal but shot high and wide.
Fernando Llorente (N/A)
Had no impact on the game.
