Barcelona were unable to offer an on the pitch distraction to their behind the scenes turmoil as they stuttered to a 1-1 draw with 10-man Alaves in La Liga on Saturday.
Ronald Koeman's side fell behind just after the half hour mark, Alaves winger Luis Rioja capitalising on a poor touch from Neto to dispossess the Brazilian goalkeeper and roll the ball into an empty net.
The home side then saw Jota sent off for a second bookable offence, and moments later Barcelona were level through Antoine Griezmann's clipped finish. Barça dominated possession for large spells of the game but could not find a way past a stubborn Alaves backline, who defended deep and got men behind the ball.
Let's get into some Barcelona player ratings.
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Neto (GK) - 4/10 - Poorly controlled Pique's back pass and dithered on the ball as Luis Rioja robbed him and raced clear to open the scoring.
Sergi Roberto (RB) - 6/10 - Played Messi through with a perfectly weighted pass in the second half and was the livelier of the two Barcelona fullbacks.
Gerard Pique (CB) - 5/10 - Stitched Neto up with an awkward back pass instead of clearing his lines in the build up to Alaves' opener, having had very little to do defensively all evening. Blazed a glorious opportunity wide at the death.
Clément Lenglet (CB) - 5/10 - Played Fati in with a sumptuous pass and was probably the most unfortunate of the three players to be taken off at half time by Ronald Koeman.
Jordi Alba (LB) - 5/10 - Was very quiet, offering little going forward and was replaced by Sergino Dest with a little over 20 minutes remaining.
2. Midfielders
Ousmane Dembele (RM) - 4/10 - Enjoyed one particularly exciting burst down the flank as he ignited the burners and flew past Duarte - but it was something he did not produce frequently enough. Surrendered possession cheaply on a couple of occasions and was hauled off at half time.
Sergio Busquets (CM) - 4/10 - Caught out of position as Alaves launched a slick counter attack in the first half. Sloppy in possession at times, hauled off at half time on a booking.
Frenkie de Jong (CM) - 6/10 - Much more efficient in possession than his midfield partner. Moved to centre back as part of a back three at half time but effectively continued to play as a central midfielder when Barcelona were in possession.
Ansu Fati (LM) - 6/10 - Picked out Griezmann with a good cut back in the first half, but squandered one of Barcelona's best chances when played through by Lenglet. Produced a couple of edge of seat, mazy marauds down the wing. Happy 18th birthday.
3. Forwards
Lionel Messi (ST) - 6/10 - Wriggled through in sumptuous Messi style midway through the first half in the buildup to a good opening for Griezmann. Had an effort from close range terrifically palmed round the post in the second half. Crowded out and frustrated at times.
Antoine Griezmann (ST) - 7/10 - Dragged a shot wide in the first half after being found by Fati. Levelled the scores just after the hour mark with a deft finish.
4. Substitutes
Pedri - 7/10 - Offered a few reasons to be cheerful with another impressive performance, flashes of real intelligence and star quality.
Miralem Pjanic - 6/10 - Brought on at half-time for Busquets and put himself about well enough. Still doesn't strike you as a Barcelona type player.
Francisco Trincão- 5/10 - On at half-time for Dembele, but didn't fare much better than the Frenchman. Quiet and ineffective.
Sergino Dest - 6/10 - A 20 minute run-out yielded very little action of note.
Martin Braithwaite - N/A
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