The first half of the season is over which gives us the chance to draw some conclusions. We've already assessed Barcelona's best performers before the World Cup break, now the time has come to name those that could've done better.
Hector Bellerin - 2
Hector Bellerin hasn't had a single solid match for Barca. At his best, he was meh, and at his worst, he cost us two goals against Bayern Munich.
Bellerin played just 321 minutes across 5 games (3 starts) before Xavi gave up on him and decided to play left-back Alejandro Balde on the right.
The only positives are that the 27-year-old joined us for free and his contract expires at the end of the season. If he doesn't improve after the break, it's incredibly difficult to imagine him staying for another year.
Eric Garcia - 3
Eric Garcia had a couple of good performances at the start of the season when he was paired with the more physical Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde. Once the duo went down with injuries though, Eric started getting exposed.
Garcia was a massive let-down in the big matches, committing amateur-level mistakes in games against Inter Milan and Real Madrid. The 21-year-old is an amazing passer, but he lacks defensively.
Sergio Busquets - 5
Against teams that play with a deep block and don't press too high (aka La Liga minnows), Sergio Busquets is still very useful. Against proper opponents though, you can get a heart attack watching Busi lose the ball in the middle and then struggle to track back.
The 34-year-old wants to call it quits at the end of the season, and that's probably for the best for all parties involved.
Franck Kessie - 5
In possession, Franck Kessie is simply not at the same level as the other midfielders at the club. And without the ball, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong offer more - they are quicker and press better.
Kessie's agent has admitted that the player is still adapting to Barca's style. Let's see whether he will improve after the break.
Ansu Fati - 5.5
Ansu Fati had his moments - the game-winning performance against Real Sociedad (a goal and two assists) and the solid outing against Villarreal. But overall, the 20-year-old was unimpressive.
We used to know Fati as a great finisher but that label no longer applies. Ansu now misses more big chances than he converts, and the game against Valencia illustrated that perfectly.
Hopefully, it is all down to the lack of action over the past two years and he will pick up soon. Maybe the World Cup will serve as a confidence booster for him.
