Barcelona won 2-1 over Manchester City with some terrific display of class. Lionel Messi decimated Manchester's defense repeatedly. Xavi and Andres Iniesta looked like they turned back the clock a few years. Gerard Pique made some key defensive plays. Victor Valdes made a few heroic saves. The passing game flowed beautifully throughout and the team even managed some dangerous counterattacks.
Despite all the positives reaped from the game, there was one major sore spot—Neymar.
The Brazilian has had a forgetful 2014 with his club and did not show many signs of improvement at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. Granted, Neymar created some solid scoring chances. He received an aerial pass with his head that seemingly caught defender Aleksandr Kolarov off guard; the City defenseman slipped on the turf, allowing Neymar a chance to race in at goal, but his shot was stopped by Joe Hart. Later on he received a beautiful pass from Lionel Messi and broke in on goal alone. Hart challenged him, cutting off his angle and forcing him wide. Neymar dribbled away from the goal and had a chance to pass it to a wide open Messi in the box. Instead, he fired it on goal and saw his attempt blocked by a defender.
Despite these two moments, Neymar was rather ineffectual throughout the game and faded away into invisibility as it wore on. By the end Coach Gerardo Martino had no choice but to substitute him off for Alexis Sanchez.
So what is going on with Neymar?
He has played one game for Brazil in 2014 and scored three goals. How many goals does he have for Barcelona in 2014? One goal in nine matches. Many would point to these opposing stats and state that he is the main focus on Brazil but not on Barcelona.
While it is true that his role on Brazil is filled with more freedom of expression than it is one Barcelona, it does not excuse such a talented star from such poor numbers. Neymar has produced for his club on a number of occasions earlier this season and the team, when at its best, has given him opportunities to score. On Wednesday, Messi gave him a plethora of passes that should have wound up in goals; the rest of the team also seemed to be giving him a chance to be selfish a few times, but he seemed incapable of it.
At a number of moments he looked ready to challenge a defender, but instead opted to turn around and pass the ball back. Some of those passes were errant and one even went out of bounds. Surely, one would expect Neymar to run at the such a weak defense as Manchester's, especially when three of the back four have yellow cards. Neymar's situation can no longer be blamed on his role with the team. It seems like the Brazilian is almost afraid to make a mistake; as if the pressure of playing to such a large audience is somehow harming his game. The controversy over his contract is undoubtedly not helping the situation, but this player needs to focus.
Neymar is not going anywhere, but maybe it is time for Martino to sit him out for a few games so that he can relax and re-energize physically and mentally.