Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Getafe: No Raphinha, No Problem For Flawless Catalans

Barcelona resumed their sensational start of the season with a dominant 3–0 win against Getafe on Saturday at the Camp Nou.

The most prolific attack in the world at the start of this season picked off where it left off before the international window, as Anthony Gordon put Barcelona ahead inside the opening 80 seconds of the match. Even with a lucky deflection, it finished a nice move to bag his first in Blaugrana colors.

Hansi Flick’s side completely erased a tame Getafe side from the start, and Gabriel Jesus eventually doubled the lead thanks to a turnover he forced and followed with a top finish in his first Barça start.

The hosts lifted their foot off the gas and put the game on ice in the second half, but Jules Koundé still tucked in a Lamine Yamal cross with another nice move inside the penalty area to make it three.

Barcelona are now perfect through nine games across all competitions this season and hold a six-point lead atop the La Liga standings. It’s early in the term, but no team in Spain appears capable of competing against Flick’s mighty side.

The One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Barcelona players celebrating — Barcelona’s depth was on full display. | David Ramos/Getty Images

On a day in which Barcelona started the game without key regulars such as Raphinha, Pedri and Pau Cubarsí, Flick’s rotated side looked just as devastating.

Raphinha returning from international duty injured threatened to compromise Barcelona’s prolific attack. But those worries soon disappeared as his replacement, Gabriel Jesus, was excellent in his first Barça start.

Gavi looked like the incredible talent that won the 2022 Kopa Trophy, looking sharp and full of confidence operating next to Rodri in the midfield double-pivot. Jules Koundé also delivered his best performance in months in only his second start of the term.

A year ago, Flick’s squad was incredibly thin in certain areas, often needing to deploy players out of position to try to cover holes in his lineup. When Pedri and Raphinha missed time, Barcelona weren’t able to sustain a top level and it eventually showed in a Champions League quarterfinal elimination.

Now, the Catalans boast the deepest squad they’ve had during the Flick era, with a wealth of quality alternatives at almost every position. They’re much better equipped to overcome the absence of some of their best players.

Barcelona have a deep side full of starter-worthy talents for the first time since Lionel Messi left in 2021, and it seems like everyone understands their role. Right now, Barça are winning handily, but it’s this quality depth that have may believing this is the team most capable of ending a Champions League drought that will soon reach 12 years.

Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Getafe (4-2-3-1)

Rodri on the ball — Rodri dominated against Getafe. | Javier Borrego/Europa Press/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Joan García—7.4: Barely tested but calmly dealt with any potential danger. The best news is that he’s back on the pitch after a minor injury saw him miss the last game before the break.

RB: Jules Koundé—8.8: Now the French player with the most Barça appearances in history and he celebrated it with a desperately needed strong showing, looking full of energy and nullifying Getafe’s left wing. Added the cherry on top with his first goal of the term.

CB: Eric García—8.0: Untested by Getafe’s toothless attack, García often ventured forward and tried his luck from distance, nearly bagging his first goal of the season.

CB: Gerard Martín—8.1: It might seem incredible, but this was Martín’s 100th appearance for Barça. The center-back convert didn’t have much to do, but he answered the call when he had to.

LB: Xavi Espart—8.0: Continues to play as if he had 200 senior appearances already. Confident on the ball, getting the Camp Nou crowd on its feet with a handful of brilliant lobs into the penalty area for incoming teammates.

CM: Rodri—8.4: Dominant on both ends of the pitch, shielding the backline by halting potential Getafe attacks with ease and organizing Barça’s possessions from the middle of the park. He’s back to his very best.

CM: Gavi—7.3: His best performance in a while. Often involved in the construction of attacks and his sweet turns to leave markers behind with his first touch alone were reminiscent of the teenagers that burst onto the scene at the start of the decade.

RW: Lamine Yamal—8.2: After a dazzling international window for Spain, Yamal wasn’t as sharp here. He displayed his stellar quality in flashes but was erratic at times and didn’t have his shooting boots on. Still managed to collect an assist to make it seven straight Barça games with a goal contribution.

AM: Dani Olmo—7.3: In and out of the game but Barcelona’s attack was at its best when the platinum-blonde playmaker found pockets of space to receive between the lines.

LW: Anthony Gordon—8.3: After a three-goal showing for England during the international window, it took Gordon less than two minutes to open his Barça account with a lucky but nicely crafted individual goal.

ST: Gabriel Jesus—8.5: In his first start for Barça, Jesus had the freedom to move all over the final third, vacating spaces other teammates exploited. His stellar pressing work eventually was rewarded when he dispossessed a center back to then score a very nice goal.

SUB: Fermín López (61’ for Olmo)—7.1: An injection of energy in the second half. López had the joint-most successful dribbles despite playing just 30 minutes.

SUB: Pedri (61’ for Gavi)—7.2: A delightful cameo in which he oozed class in midfield with his trademarked passes and runs to bypass the press.

SUB: Marc Bernal (72’ for Rodri)—6.2: Helped Barça comfortably control the game in the twilight of the match.

SUB: Karim Adeyemi (72’ for Gordon)—6.5: Created three chances in his 20 minute cameo, the joint-most of any player on the pitch.

SUB: Hamza Abdelkarim (81’ for Jesus)—N/A

Subs not used: Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Dominik Livaković (GK), Alejandro Balde, João Cancelo, Pau Cubarsí, Brian Fariñas.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Gabriel Jesus is enjoying life in Catalonia. | David Ramos/Getty Images

Gabriel Jesus scored his first three Barça goals inside his first 100 minutes of total action at the club. The Deadline Day recruit isn’t going to be a starter, but he continues to show he’s more than capable of delivering when needed.
Gavi had a quiet start of the term, complicated by injuries. But the energetic La Masia graduate displayed the stellar technical quality he owns—an underrated trait of his game in recent times. With him at top level, it became abundantly clear why Barcelona boast the best midfield in world soccer—and Frenkie de Jong is yet to make his season debut.
Anthony Gordon finally bagged his first Barça goal after he was starting to look frustrated in recent games. The Englishman was excellent again, and the competition for minutes on the left wing with Karim Adeyemi seems to only be upping their game. Who will become the established starter remains to be seen, but both have made strong starts of the campaign.
Jules Koundé was outstanding on Saturday, looking like his 2024–25 version. After a significant drop in form over the past year, Barça recovering the best Koundé would make the rich even richer.

The Numbers That Explain Barça’s Comfortable Win

Barcelona kept 85% of possession during the first half, limiting Getafe to just two touches in the opposition box.
The hosts produced their lowest xG of the season (1.93), yet the final score could have been even more lopsided since they missed six of their seven big chances created.
The Catalans kept a first clean sheet in four games and limited Getafe to to just 0.12 xG.
Flick’s side have now scored 34 goals in eight La Liga games this season, no other team has even reached 20 yet.

Statistic	Barcelona	Getafe
Posession	83%	17%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.93	0.12
Total Shots	23	4
Shots on Target	8	1
Big Chances	7	0
Pass Accuracy	91%	61%
Fouls	9	11
Corners	9	2

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