Christensen 9, De Jong 8.5 | CD Guadalajara 0-2 Barcelona: Player Ratings | OneFootball

Barcelona’s Copa del Rey curtain-raiser against Guadalajara was anything but straightforward and far from the cakewalk many expected it to be.

As has always been the case in early cup fixtures, the lower-rated opposition came out with their everything to frustrate Hansi Flick’s side and defended deep to suffocate the rotated Catalan attack.

The first half was heavily frustrating, and the second half began following the same haphazard format. Normalcy, however, was slowly restored after substitutions arrived and Andreas Christensen eventually scored the opener with a neat header.

The hosts threatened a comeback in the final stages of the game, but Barcelona held on and added a second through Marcus Rashford to progress to the next round of the Spanish cup.

Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Guadalajara 0-2 Barcelona.

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 7.5

The captain made his first start of the season after the manager deemed it right to hand him a chance to show that he is fit and willing to fight. However, he did not have much to do given how Guadalajara barely entered the Barcelona area.

Made a massive save in the 78th minute to deny Guadalajara an equaliser.

Jofre Torrents: 7.5

The academy star earned a rare start in the cup fixture and did well, earning Flick’s appreciation after he was eventually taken off in the second half.

Made three defensive actions and eight recoveries in 63 minutes.

Andreas Christensen: 9

Christensen was rock-solid for Barcelona. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The Dane earned a rare start on the night, and his performance only raised the question as to why he does not start more often.

Christensen was calm, reassured, and safe at the back with no errors or lapses in judgment or concentration. He led the defence with poise while also maintaining a healthy distribution.

Scored the team’s opening goal with a fine header from a tight angle to put the team ahead late in the game.

Eric Garcia: 8

Eric started the game as a centre-back and did well to hold off the hosts, who did not threaten too much. His ball-playing from the back, in fact, served as a handy tool for Flick’s side.

Shifted to right-back for the second half and began involving more in the attacking aspect of the game, especially given how the team constantly looked to hook crosses in from that side of the field.

Marc Casado: 7.5

The La Madia graduate’s position in the starting lineup was unclear on paper, and it only became obvious that he was acting like a right-back-cum-midfielder until after kickoff.

Casado did decently to circulate the ball and add to the buildup, but should have done far better in terms of progressing play and his creative output. That aspect did not improve even after he shifted to the defensive midfield after the break.

Marc Bernal: 8

Bernal earned another start against Guadalajara and once again showed that his recovery is on track and that he is gradually recovering his lost form.

The teenager looked reassured with his distribution, calm on the ball and a physical force in the middle of the field. Provided a lovely ball to Rashford in the first half that the Englishman could not capitalise on.

Frenkie de Jong: 8.5

The Dutchman led the midfield. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

De Jong was the captain and the leader in midfield on Tuesday night as he made his first start after five games.

The Dutchman was the only player who seemed to bring some order to the game and was critical in helping the team maintain possession and orchestrate the build-up.

Eventually provided the assist for Christensen’s opener with a lobbed ball across the field that accurately found the defender.

Fermin Lopez: 7.5

Fermin Lopez, at times, seemed to be the only Barcelona player whose attempts on goal were visible, but many of his shots were wayward, rushed, and particularly not threatening.

The La Masia star did not have a clear position on the night and seemed to be playing as a left-winger-cum-attacking midfielder. He was constantly frustrated by the raw Guadalajara defence.

Roony Bardghji: 6.5

The youngster started the game as Barcelona’s right-winger, and a lot was expected of him given how he has been in good touch in recent times. However, Bardghji did not have it easy playing in the tight spaces and rough Guadalajara play.

His distribution on the night was decent, but he did not get involved nearly as much as the management would have hoped he would.

Lamine Yamal: 8

The Guadalajara defence came out hard against Yamal. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The young winger saw much of the ball and took up responsibility in terms of dribbling, progressing play, and leading the attack. However, the opposition appeared to be particularly targeting him and taking him down on every occasion.

Given the stakes and the nature of the game, it simply seemed to be a mistake to start him on the night, given how viciously he was being taken down.

Marcus Rashford: 8

Rashford seemingly served as the reference point in attack and had a couple of chances to open the scoring in the first half but struggled to do so. He did not make many penetrative runs past the opposition defence and was partially lost in the haphazard proceedings.

Had a couple of decent efforts blocked by the opposition goalkeeper in a frustrating second half. Scored at the very end of the game to put the game to bed.