#5 Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets were missed but Neymar steps up
Two of the senior most players in the Barcelona squad are Andres Iniesta, the club captain, and Sergio Busquets – the glue that holds Barcelona together. With both men picking up injuries, Barcelona has struggled to replace them, especially the hole of Sergio Busquets that Javier Mascherano, Ivan Rakitic and Andre Gomes have tried to fill in but failed.
Andres Iniesta’s creativity and composure were missed, but Arda Turan certainly did have a few great moments on the field. However, the man of the match this afternoon was certainly Neymar.
The Brazillian looked in the best form of the season and troubled Athletic Bilbao with his quick feet, mesmerising runs and quick turns. He set up Alcacer’s goal, lifting his assists tally in the league to 7. His return to form couldn’t have been at a better time and Luis Enrique would be grateful for that.