Elche 0-2 Barcelona Player Ratings: De Jong steps up in Messi's absence
Frenkie De Jong scored the easiest goal of his career as Barcelona as well as providing an assist as his excellent performance guided the team to victory at Elche.
Elche 0-2 Barcelona: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
So who were the best and worst players on the pitch?
✔️ GOOD PERFORMANCE
Ronald Araujo: 8.0
The Uruguayan defender is looking like a real find. He has only made his way into the team following Gerard Pique's injury but is really impressing with his calm displays and did so again here in a good clean sheet.
He won his one tackle and 5/7 of his attempted duels, as well as his six recoveries. He also made 114 touches, more than anyone else on the pitch.
He is building himself an excellent reputation for the Catalan side and solved a big problem for Koeman in the centre of his defence.
Riqui Puig (No Rating)
No rating for Riqui as he was only on the pitch for three minutes plus injury time. But in that period he managed to nod home the clinching goal and the acclaim given to him by his team-mates showed a level of respect for a young man who has been frozen out, but has been keen to show his worth.
It's unlikely he has convinced Koeman yet, but this is a start.
⭐ STAR MAN
Frenkie De Jong: 9.2
Ronald Koeman's decision to give De Jong a more dynamic role in the team is certainly paying off. He now has five goals this season after netting the opening goal at Elche.
He poked the ball over the line from virtually underneath the crossbar, but it was the fact he was in the position to score that was most impressive.
And his assist for Riqui Puig's clinching goal in the closing minutes, running rampant down the right hand side before flicking a lovely cross onto the midfielder's head, showed the other side of his game. He's a much improved player and this was an important win.
Elche 0-2 Barcelona: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats