Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Elche: Catalans Increase Pressure on Title Challengers

Barcelona never had to leave first gear to completely dominate and beat Elche 3–1 on Saturday night, showing their title credentials.

Lamine Yamal broke the deadlock early but his strike was cancelled by Álvaro Rodríguez’s equalizer. Barcelona didn’t falter, though, and Ferran Torres restored the visitors’ advantage before the break.

Barcelona continued to dominate emphatically but struggled to capture a two-goal lead that jeopardized the result for a long time. Finally, Marcus Rashford added a third to clinch Barça’s 11th win in their last 12 La Liga games.

Hansi Flick’s men will return to Catalonia with a four point lead in the title race, putting the pressure on bitter rivals Real Madrid, who will be obligated to respond when they take the pitch on Sunday.

Winners and Losers

Frenkie de Jong. — Frenkie de Jong was everywhere against Elche. | Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Winners

The standard he’s set for himself sometimes makes us forget and appreciate the level Lamine Yamal is showcasing at just 18 years old. He was simply unplayable against Elche, creating chances for fun and dribbling his way through defenders with alarming ease. Don’t look now, but the generational talent appears to have reached a new level since the turn of the year.

Frenkie de Jong has been one of the best midfielders in Europe since the start of 2026 and he showcased why vs. Elche. With Pedri out injured and with two natural attacking midfielders alongside him, the Dutchman anchored the midfield in dominant fashion, registering six recoveries whilst still venturing forward to pick up his fifth league assist of the term. Simply sensational.

Losers

Perhaps the only stain in otherwise stellar performance revolves around Raphinha. The Brazilian didn’t return to the pitch for the second half and early information suggests his exit was due to a fitness issue. All eyes will be on his injury status in the coming days.

On a night where Flick could’ve easily decided to rotate his side, Marc Casadó still couldn’t feature from the start and played just five minutes, even with Pedri out injured. It’s clear that the La Masia graduate has tumbled down the midfielder pecking order. Flick seems to favor utilizing Eric García or Dani Olmo out of position and, in recent games, Marc Bernal—who Barcelona are slowly integrating after an ACL injury—is starting to feature with more regularity.

Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Elche

LamineYamal celebrating. — Lamine Yamal had another brilliant performance. | Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by Fotmob*

GK: Joan García—7.9: Nothing he could do to stop Elche’s temporary equalizer and but he was confident and alert the rest of the way.

RB: Jules Koundé—7.4: Contrary to recent performances, Koundé looked fully engaged, intense and back to his 2024–25 self. He was flawless defensively and combined well with Yamal in attack.

CB: Pau Cubarsí—6.4: Once again failed to inspire any confidence in behind, constantly running towards his own goal to try and make up his and the rest of the backline’s inability to track runners.

CB: Eric García—7.5: Although he did his job as Barcelona’s distributor from the back, he struggled with the high line, playing Álvaro Rodríguez onside and failing to track him in the action of Elche’s goal.

LB: Alejandro Balde—7.8: Following a number of subpar performances, vintage Balde came to play against Elche. The fullback did whatever he wanted down the left wing, constantly darting up the pitch at speed and creating plenty of danger. Will be frustrated not to leave Elche with at least one assist.

CM: Dani Olmo—7.7: Operating deeper but with freedom to roam, Olmo continued his positive run, this time showing his quality as a creator, highlighted by a perfectly weighted pass to assist Yamal’s opener.

CM: Frenkie de Jong—8.4: The Dutchman dominated from midfield, making every right decision. He quarterbacked the side, and his assist was the definition of poise. He’s been fantastic since the turn of the year and has taken a another step forward since Pedri’s injury.

CM: Fermín López—7.7: Fermín created plenty of danger for others but when it was time for him to finish actions, he was uncharacteristically wasteful, missing at least three clear chances.

RW: Lamine Yamal—9.2: Adjectives are beginning to run out when describing Yamal’s brilliance. He did whatever he wanted down the right wing and collected his sixth goal contribution of his last five appearances.

ST: Ferran Torres—8.6: He was sensational linking-up with other attackers, his movement behind defenders was equally great and he was rewarded with a goal. However, it must be said he could’ve scored another four—no exaggeration—had he been more clinical.

LW: Raphinha—7.2: Wasn’t as involved as Yamal on the opposite wing but he still looked menacing whenever he had the ball in the final third. Still, he raised alarms when he was taken off at halftime with an apparent injury.

SUB: Marcus Rashford (46’ for Raphinha)—7.8: Although he did squander a clear chance, Rashford continues to be impactful as a substitute, registering four goal involvements in his last four cameos.

SUB: Marc Bernal (62’ for Olmo)—6.8: He won’t steal any headlines, but he was key for Barcelona to put the game on ice and what’s most important is that he continues to register more and more season as the season goes on.

SUB: Robert Lewandowski (62’ for Torres)—6.5: He looked eager to score from the moment he entered the pitch, but after getting his first shot blocked, his dragged his second wide with a poor strike.

SUB: Ronald Araújo (84’ for Koundé)—N/A: Barcelona’s captain didn’t have much time to make his presence felt.

SUB: Marc Casado (85’ for López)—N/A: In only five minutes of action, Casadó made a key recovery to stop a potential Elche counter-attack

Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Gerard Martín, João Cancelo, Roony Bardghji.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Ferran Torres and Raphinha — Ferran Torres (right) returned to the starting lineup with a goal. | Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Barcelona’s heavily criticized fullbacks, Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde, both delivered strong performances that could result in a boost in confidence that helps them return to their best moving forward.
Dani Olmo is perfectly capable of operating deeper in midfield without jeopardizing his influence in attack. The Spaniard has the qualities to thrive as a deep-lying playmaker, something desperately needed with Pedri out injured.
The return of Ferran Torres resumed the battle for the starting striker role. Lewandowski started each of the last three games, but with Ferran back among the goals following a minor injury, the pair will continue their personal battle for minutes in the coming games.

The Numbers That Explain Barcelona’s Dominant Win

Barcelona player celebrating Rashford’s goal. — Marcus Rashford (middle) scored Barcelona’s long-awaited third goal vs. Elche. | Jos Jordan /AFP/Getty Images

The scoreline doesn’t do justice to Barcelona’s dominance, as evidenced by Barcelona underperforming their staggering 6.30 xG. Scoring just three goals from 30 total shots is further proof of how much worse it could’ve been for Elche.
Barcelona continues to concede with alarming ease. Despite allowing just three shots on target and one big chance, the Catalans were still unable to keep a clean sheet.
Lamine Yamal’s brilliant night is highlighted by the eight chances he created and his four successful dribbles, the most of any player on the pitch in both categories.

Statistic	Elche	Barcelona
Possession	39%	61%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.95	6.30
Total Shots	9	30
Shots on Target	3	8
Big Chances	1	10
Passing Accuracy	82%	86%
Fouls Committed	15	9
Corners	2	8