Depay 9, Dest 5: rating Barca players in Stuttgart win

Good

Memphis Depay — 9

The Dutchman scored a brilliant goal early in the first half to give Barcelona the lead. Besides opening the score, Memphis proved that he's a real threat upfront, creating many chances for his teammates through his extravagant and unexpected passes.

Also, the forward would've definitely won a penalty if there was VAR.

Gavi — 8

The 16-year-old got to play from the start ahead of the likes of Miralem Pjanic and Riqui Puig, and he definitely didn't betray Ronald Koeman's trust. Gavi's awareness, understanding of the game and ability to switch between paces make him seem like a true veteran of the game. Against Stuttgart, he was a prominent figure in Barca's game, taking part in almost every attack.

Antoine Griezmann — 7.5

Despite going a bit invisible in the first half, the Frenchman managed to turn his game around. Griezmann ended the match with two assists and a bunch of useful defensive contributions. Not as active as during the regular season, but a solid performance nonetheless.

Gerard Pique — 7.5

Although it's true that Blaugrana's defence didn't look that well again, Pique deserves none of the blame. The centre-back covered for the mistakes of his teammates, and he showed once more that he can compensate for the lack of speed through his positioning and anticipation.

Poor

Sergino Dest — 5

The American could've cost Barca a goal late in the first half as his pass got intercepted by the Stuttgart forwards. Dest did contribute to the attack, but he perhaps should've shown the same passion when tracking back.

However, we have to point out that he started the game at left-back, which isn't his natural position, and he became visibly better when switched back to the right wing.

Sergi Roberto — 5.5

The 29-year-old occasionally lost his men and misplaced passes, which could've resulted in bad news for Barca if not for the poor finishing demonstrated by the rivals.

Roberto isn't good at moving the ball forward by himself due to his relatively poor pace, so that's one option less for us in attack. Clearly, the right-back position doesn't suit him as well as it did a few years ago.

Other starting XI: Neto — 7, Lenglet — 6, Nico — 7, De Jong — 8, Demir — 7.5.

Subs: Araujo — 7.5, Alba — 6, Busquets — 6.5, Pjanic — 7, Puig — 7.5, Nils — 6 , Manaj — 5.5