Neymar is playing incredible right now in Lionel Messi's absence. So good, he could win the prestigious Pichichi Trophy as Spain's top goal scorer. Can Neymar bring the trophy back to Brazil or will Cristiano Ronaldo win it yet again?
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When Lionel Messi went down with an injury a few weeks ago and it was made clear that the superstar would be out of commission for some time, there were many questions regarding Barcelona's fate.
It is now almost one month away from El Clasico, the single most important event of the soccer calendar.
This year will likely be the most fascinating version of the event with both teams entering fielding many question marks. Last year's first such competition saw both sides on fire. The second match essentially determined the Spanish League title.
This year is a bit different. Neither team is looking completely dominant in the early going and look markedly vulnerable. There was no Clasico that featured two vulnerable teams last year; Madrid did look a bit warn heading into the second contest, but Barcelona was in peak form.
So what are the weaknesses the both teams have exposed thus far?
Lionel Messi is still out with a leg injury, and Barcelona's defense isn't playing anywhere near as good as it did last season. Is it panic time for Barcelona fans?
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It has not been a great year for Barcelona. Despite winning the treble a season ago, the team has struggled in the early going, already accruing three defeats in all competitions this season; the team has also endured two draws in all competitions and is out of first place in the Spanish League.
The team’s shaky start has only been exacerbated by injuries and none more crucial than the loss of one Lionel Messi. You might of heard of him. He is undeniably, at this moment, the most influential offensive player in the game, capable of coming off the bench and changing a game with one touch (just ask Atletico Madrid).
In his absence, which will linger for over a month, the team has looked somewhat disjointed. The reason? Other teams are more confident playing Barcelona knowing its talisman is nowhere to be seen.
Since losing Messi, teams (all three of them) have looked far more committed to attacking Blaugrana head on. Just witness how Sevilla attacked with wild abandon, allowing for a wide open counter attacking battle that could have gone either way for both teams. Bayer Leverkusen did the same exact thing in its contact, pressuring Barcelona in the midfield and launching quick strikes.
On the other end of the pitch, Barcelona has countered with five goals in three games; shockingly the team had not been that much better with Messi in the lineup to this point though there are some major ingredients that he brings that have been sorely lacking for Blaugrana.
Messi is undeniably the best dribbler in the world. The stats say it. The eye test says it. When he has the ball he forces defenders to take one of two decisions: attack him and risk being dangled about by him or sit back and give him a chance to make a pass or go right at them anyways. Messi can do either and oftentimes he has no trouble dribbling past one player without difficulty. So that requires the team to sit back and have another man waiting to provide reinforcements. Since Messi can take on two or even three men with a dribble (sometimes even five), the entire defense is forced to sit back and wait for him.
Without Messi, Barcelona has no one with that level of skill. Neymar is as close as it comes but he still falls short of Messi (Messi averages 6.5 dribbles per game while Neymar only gets 4.5 this season).
Goalscoring has been a problem for Messi in 2015-16 as he had just six through nine tilts prior to getting injured. Despite missing a number of games thus far, he is tied for the team lead with Luis Suarez who also has six goals, albeit in more matches than the Argentine.
The two superstars have done a decent job of filling in for Messi, combining on four of the five Barcelona goals scored since Messi’s injury. Neymar leads the team in key passes per game, emphasizing a strong pass first mentality from the winger. A three game sample is rather small and the games that follow the international break will surely reveal more about how much this team can play without its superstars.
The reviews thus far are mixed, but there is time to make a statement that this team does not rely on one star to make it go.
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