Neymar at Barcelona - The early days

Neymar will need to establish himself the hard way

In the current state of affairs, such a scenario seems inconceivable, given the fact that Neymar does not seem to have an ego to match that of Ibra. Neymar himself has come out to state that Messi is the hub of Barça, and that he, Neymar, would want to learn from from Messi.

Neymar has been largely used as a substitute thus far, and Barça’s quality that they can more than afford to do this. In his start against Rayo Vallecano, he was largely influential and the best player on the night. He was also one of the few shining lights for Barça against Málaga, in a match in which they struggled to break down an obstinate Málaga and had to survive a few second-half scares. On Neymar’s regular absence from the starting line-up, Barcelona manager Tata Martino had this to say:

“The press judge how he has adapted by asking whether he has scored goals or not, but he does a fantastic job in creating chances and recovering the ball.”

“He has adapted very quickly and I’m very happy with what he has done so far.”

“Don’t forget that he had a long summer with the Confederations Cup, his hectic transfer to the club and the long trips he has had to make which have prevented him from training properly. We are very satisfied with everything he has offered us.”

Martino has also been quoted as saying “toughen up” to Neymar. His simple message has been directed at Neymar’s slender frame, which leaves much to be desired on the physical front. But, another more illustrious personality has warned Barcelona not to turn Neymar “into bodybuilder”. On Neymar, Maradona had this to say:

“Neymar delights me. He is a player that should be noted.”

“He knows what to do with himself and that he does not need to be a bodybuilder. I hope they (Barcelona) don’t do that with him. He just has to play football.”

Neymar would have wanted to make more of an impact at Barcelona by now, but Martino’s tactics have also contributed to damping his impact on the team. Martino’s tactics have been criticised by sections of the fans, and a feeling of alarm passed among the supporters as Barcelona had a lower share of possession against minnows Rayo Vallecano.

Playing out on the left for the Spanish champions, Neymar has found that he doesn’t have the same freedom of operation that he enjoyed at both Santos and Brazil. He has also not seen as much of the ball as he would’ve liked. Where at Santos and Brazil he was the centre of play, even when he played out wide, he has seen one facet of his play suppressed, namely that of the playmaker.

It remains to be seen if Neymar’s signing blossoms into a success as Barcelona hope, or if we see another failed “golden combination’. Still, these are early days.