Luis Enrique hails Neymar's performance after Barcelona's win
Barcelona romped to a 6-0 victory over Sporting Gijon to take them back to the top of La Liga. The trio of Neymar, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi once again combined beautifully to see off a weak Gijon team.
Suarez scored 4 goals for the second consecutive game, becoming the first player to do so in the history of La Liga. Neymar also put in very good performance for his team after being criticized in recent weeks.
Luis Enrique praised the young star’s performance after the match and stated his importance to the side “He's got a lot of personality, he's a top player and he keeps trying to do everything. He never hides away. He's always fighting, he'll press our rivals, he can take a penalty even when things are going his way.”
The Brazilian’s on-field showings haven’t been what we have come to expect from him. That was very evident during the poor run of form Barcelona were enduring when they lost three matches in a row.
He was also involved in controversy during the Valencia game when he was seen abusing his teammate Jordi Alba. But it looks like the two have buried the hatchet since the incident and the 24-year-old seems to have returned to his best.
Enrique on the fans and MSN
The Barca fans have been very loyal and full of support throughout the tough period the club suffered and Enrique was very grateful for their patience.”I was very pleased with the response from the public and that's why we love them so much - that they support us even when things aren't going smoothly.”
MSN seem to have clicked back into gear in the last two games after scoring 14 without reply. Luis Suarez has been involved in 10 of those 1,4 but Mess and Neymar have done their fair share of work.
The manager was delighted to have his front three firing on all cylinders once again. “Being able to see the three up front requires the work of everyone else. They were lethal but the merit is for everybody.”
UCL absence will help us in title race: Enrique
Having been knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico, Barcelona can now concentrate on the La Liga title race. Enrique is hoping that Atletico and Real Madrid will feel the strain of playing in two competitions.
“I'd love it if they start to feel the weight of having to play every three days. Although that didn't happen to us last season. The team is physically in fine shape. We hope it works out in our favour”