On Sunday, Barcelona exploded with a 7-0 win over Osasuna that re-established the Catalan side as an offensive juggernaut. The team has languished offensively in the past few weeks thanks to a seemingly weak system that has become overly repetitive. However, Sunday's side looked like the well-oiled machine that many called the best team in the world a few years ago.
A look at the team's starting lineup may actually be quite revealing. The back four included Javier Macsherano, Marc Bartra, Dani Alves and Jordi Alba. Nothing overly surprising there except for the absence of Gerard Pique due to injury. In the midfield, the team started with Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. Again, no surprises there. Up front Coach Gerardo Martino opted for Pedro, Alexis Sanchez, and Lionel Messi. Two names not included in this lineup jump out immediately: Cesc Fabregas and Neymar.
Fabregas' absence is shocking considering the fact that the Spaniard has had a solid season overall; however, he is better employed in the midfield in Xavi's spot in order to get the best out of him. However, Xavi's play on Sunday really left Fabregas as a spare part.
Neymar's absence is shocking mainly because it signals Martino's decision to move on from him for the time being. Neymar was purchased for a rather lofty sum and the hope was that he would provide Messi with offensive support and give the team a new creative flair on the wing. However, that experiment has failed tremendously in the last few months. Neymar has not only been ineffective offensively, but has regressed tremendously. He looks unsure when he gets the ball and often resorts to passing back (many times he makes an errant pass that goes nowhere). The killer instinct that Barcelona was hoping to get from him has languished and he simply does not look like his usual dominating self. Anyone claiming that Barcelona has ruined his game irreparably only needs to look at his performance for Brazil against South Africa to see that this is not the case. The problem is that Neymar has simply not adjusted to Barcelona's game. And he may never adjust to it.
Pedro and Sanchez both looked confident on the pitch; their passes were crisp and their choices to attack the goal were always decisive. Neymar has not matched that intensity in 2014 and the continued emergence of Sanchez and Pedro could leave him on the bench for an extended period of time. Currently, Neymar looks like a spare part, and not an essential one at that. Even Cristian Tello came off the bench in the game and scored a goal; he has four goals for Barcelona in 14 matches in 2014. Neymar has only has one goal in nine games in 2014 for the club. If Neymar becomes a fixture on the bench for his club, how will he feel about it? And will he look to leave the team for another one that suits his style better? He is only 21, but he is also a superstar that is expected to play. Would Barcelona look to sell him?