Winter Break - Report Card

[barcanuck]

We are at the half way point having played 26 games. We have won 20 of those games.

Here's my report card for the top players and coach thus far:

A+ > Messi = despite being hampered by injuries still is our joint top scorer with 14 goals in 16 games. Anytime Messi plays it's an A+ in my books.

A > Neymar = at 21 years old he's exceeded expectations in terms of play making with his 10 assists. Has drawn numerous cards and penalties despite only taking one penal he's got 11 goals. A is my grade for Neyboy as I feel he can still do a bit better at finishing. Scored and assisted in his first classico to beat Real. Scored the only goal of the Spanish Super Cup to win us the Cup against Atletico.

A- > Pedro = has 14 goals making him joint top scorer with Messi so far. This is his 3rd best year statistically so far after already and is showing glimpses of the old 20+ goal scoring Pedro. This is all despite not being first choice and having to fight for his spot with Sanchez. I give him an A- due to him scoring hat tricks then disappearing for a few games. His two hat tricks away to Rayo and Getafe were huge points Pedro single handily brought us.

A > Sanchez = a very good first half for the Sex, he's been inspired by Tata to play like he does for Chile and has been very good up front not wasting as many chances and also building a great relation with Neymar. Scored the nal in the coffin in the classico with a chip against Real, scored the winner in stoppage time against Sevila and the only goal in the Catalan derby vs Espanyol.

A > Busquets = Busi has been Busi all season, perfect in almost all games he has played tactically and at distributing the ball.

B+ > Fabergas = has had a really good first half of the season leading La Liga in assists and also scoring 10 goals to boot. His header against Celtic to win the game in Celtic park was the key goal of his season so far. His linkup has been very good with everyone and isn't wasting many chances up front. Can still improve in ball possession but over all a very good start.

B+ > Bartra = covered for injuries to Puyol and Masche very well during times of the season. Has been a force in the air and good at passing all season.

Feel free to add your best players and also worst.

 

[Semi-Neutral]

Valdes A+ = Superb goalkeeping, really unlucky for us that he got injured as he was (and hopefully will be when he returns) in the absolute form of his life
Pinto C+ = Has gotten visibly older compared to last season, his passing is still decent but he is not making any more spectacular saves and he has been rather poor in 1 vs. 1s, a shame because Pinto was always a great player and a great guy, but I think it's time to move on
Alves B+ = Though he wasn't the Alves of the old, Dani was still a lot better than most give him credit for, and is undoubtedly still superior to Montoya, who has a lot to improve in, especially in the final third
Montoya B- = After a few rather poor games, Montoya gathered himself and played his usual solid, defensive style, which was decent enough but Dani's presence was undoubtedly missed in attack, as Montoya couldn't hope to offer what Alves does. Definitely an area he can improve on though, so I'm not too worried
Pique A- = Although he's had few amazing performances, Pique has been reliably solid in the center of our defense, showing passion, intelligence, and a lack of careless mistakes which was very refreshing to see indeed
Bartra A- = Perhaps not getting as much playing time as he deserves, Bartra has been a break-out this season and has formed an excellent partnership with Pique in the center of our defense, which, in my opinion, may develop to be one of, if not the best in Europe
Mascherano C+ = He had a few good games at the beginning of the season, but ever since then Mascherano has suffered from inconsistency and careless mistakes and hasn't deserved the playing time he's received, let's hope he can turn that around next year
Alba B = He obviously didn't feature too much due to injury, but when he has played he's been the Jordi we all know and love and I cannot wait to see him, Neymar and Iniesta in full force in action, I don't think a right flank in the world could stop that
Adriano B- = Had some great performances, undoubtedly, but was also caught out quite frequently and didn't offer much in attack this season, Alba returning has been a relief as he is clearly the better of the two

Xavi A- = Great half of the season from Xavi, who's benefited enormously from the rest given to him and has produced some terrific performances in the middle of the park
Roberto B = Roberto hasn't been able to feature as much as he wanted to this season, and has looked rather rusty as of late, misplacing passes left and right uncharacteristically carelessly, something he definitely needs to work on, but I'm confident in his ability to succeed at this club
Busquets A = A few mediocre games prevent Busquets from getting an A+, as in the other games he's been his usual amazing self
Song B = I think Song hasn't been given the credit he deserves here, he hasn't been the midfield god he was at Arsenal but nor has he been a slouch, I see Song rotating and resting our midfielders and getting a bigger role in the upcoming seasons, as I think he can still replicate his world-class form here
Cesc A = Just like with Busquets, a few mediocre games stop that A+, as he has occasionally been invisible, but for the most part he's been world-class, dishing out goals and assists left and right, let's hope his form doesn't slump in the second half of the season
Iniesta B+ = The Don started off the season rather poorly, and has struggled with consistency in general, but has made it up with some excellent performances lately and looks to be stepping it up at the perfect time

Asexis A- = Had a terrific start to the season with an absolute beauty against Real Madrid, but hasn't scored in a while and isn't looking quite the same lately, let's hope it doesn't mean anything though
Pedro B+ = An absolutely terrific performance today and some solid ones overall are enough to cancel out the games where he was invisible and not an attacking threat; today's performance was very encouraging though and he undoubtedly had an A+ game today
Messi A+ = Messi was excellent in almost every game he featured, and I am terrified at how good he'll be when he returns from this injury
Neymar A- = A few mediocre performances and a struggle to score for a while prevent the Brazilian from getting an A+, but he has been as good as I expected, showing amazing dribbling and passing and he's only 21, Neymar will be amazing for us in these upcoming years
Tello C- = Whether it's his lack of game time or the appearance of Neymar, Tello has not been the Henry-esque speed demon I love and I hope he can sort out whatever issues he has and come out in the New Year with a bang

Tata A- = Starting Mascherano too much, the two losses and a draw, and not experimenting enough with other players besides Cesc at false nine is all that prevents Tata from getting an A+, has looked to be a great manager and I cannot wait to see how he handles the tactical challenges Atletico and City will present in the New Year

¡Visca Barça! :barca scarf: