Why Real Madrid need to be wary of Neymar in El Clasico
Ever since the Brazilian starlet, Neymar Junior, made his high profile move to the Catalan capital last summer, he has been the cynosure of Barcelona’s potent strike force and forging a dream partnership with Messi has been the talk of the town. The 23-year-old was heavily poised to replicate his imperious form for Brazil in Blaugrana colours, however, the €57 million acquisition turned out to be a damp-squib as the Brazilian endured a ‘less-than-convincing' debut season and had to settle for a feeble 15 goals in all competitions.
Neymar has flourished under new manager Luis Enrique
However, since the inception of 2014-15 season, fortunes seemed to have turned the tables. The Brazilian has conjured great form for the Catalans in this campaign, having accumulated 10 goals in all competitions already and is on course to surpass his previous season's tally. The ebullient forward was deployed mainly as a right winger under Gerardo Martino last term, circumscribing his chances of cutting inside and shooting for the left side.
But now with Luis Enrique at the helm, the Brazilian has been shunted to the left wing and much of his amelioration as a forward can be ascribed to the same. The 23-year-old is now repositioned to the left flank in Enrique's 4-3-3 formation, with Lionel Messi at the centre and Pedro on the left. Neymar has certainly thrived in his new role and has unsheathed his true capabilities. His 10 goal haul in just 7 appearances only adds more substance to my statement.
Neymar is now playing in the same position as he does for his national side, one demanding more emphasis on scoring and pressurizing defenders with brilliant dexterity. His rise to prominence in the ongoing season can also be adduced to the causa causans of his fructiferous partnership with Messi. The Latin-American dyad have built an even better consociation this time around and Madrid need to be wary of their link-up play.
Real should give equal attention to the Brazilian as Messi
Having accrued 19 goals of Barca's 27 between them in all competitions this season, the Bernabeu outfit must keep an equally close tab on the Brazilian ace as it would be punishable to deliberate on Messi alone, as his proclivity to gallop through the centre may open up spaces for Neymar, who can then run towards the goal and recieve a simple lay-off.
Though nominally starting as a wide forward on the left, Neymar now spends almost as much time in the middle, making it difficult to guess where he will look to create danger. Against APOEL in the Champions League opener, Neymar frequently moved into central spaces when Messi drifted elsewhere, illustrated clearly by looking at where the Brazilian tended to receive passes from team-mates.
While Neymar received plenty of balls on the left flank as usual, he was also often handed possession in the middle of the pitch, sometimes as deep as the centre circle depending on where Messi was positioned in turn. The Brazilian's performance against Levante showed that wasn’t just a one-off, with a pattern starting to emerge. Once again, along with the usual passes received on the left, there were also plenty of instances where he collected the ball in central positions. This increased unpredictability in Neymar’s game is causing opposition coaches a major headache as they struggle to come to terms with the change.
There is absolutely no denying that Neymar has hit the top gear this season and will be a thorn in the face of any opposition, let alone Real Madrid. Although the reigning European champions have had their fare share of business in the transfer market and are enduring a prolific run of big victories, they'll have to be on the qui vive for this relentless attacker, who is showing no signs of stopping.