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FC Barcelona – Neymar Left Stranded in Amsterdam
One of the more furious debates this season among European football affectionados is the Barcelona style. Changing, or the same? The 1-2 loss to Ajax that doesn’t really change anything came with the old style: Possession, midfield passing and more possession, but too much of the version from last season, that meant pointless ball movement, spiced with predictability. Neymar was the only one who tried something different, but he alone wasn’t enough.
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FC Barcelona – Gerardo Martino Knows Records Mean Nothing, Titles Do
Does Gerardo Martino care that he’s only one match away from equaling the mark set by Guardiola’s side during the 2011-12 campaign, when Barcelona began the season by avoiding defeat in their first 21 games? Not really. He focuses on wins, sure, but eventually, what matters are the titles he ends up with.
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FC Barcelona – Neymar Happy Not Scoring Any Goals
A 4-0 win for Barcelona and Neymar didn’t score a single goal? Something must be wrong, right? Not really. The Brazilian has 4 goals and 8 assists so far this season, looking perfectly happy to be the set up man for Alexis Sanchez, Pedro and others (including Lionel Messi when he isn’t injured), showing that his arrival wasn’t meant to be about forcing him into the main star role.
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FC Barcelona – Neymar Thriving With or Without Lionel Messi
A weird season for Barcelona, as Lionel Messi just can’t seem to keep himself healthy for more than a few matches in a row, but without the team really hurting for it. Neymar might not be the scorer the Argentine is, but for all uses and purposes, he has no problem filling those shoes when it comes to simply keeping the team coasting on top of the Spanish La Liga.
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Diving Footballers – Every Big Team Needs One
Diving in football is an epidemic, but one of the biggest problems is that some of the world’s most famous players do it quite consistently, on the biggest stage possible: From Critstiano Ronaldo, maybe the most recognizable athlete in the world, to Ashley Young, who isn’t a big star, but plays for the most popular side, Manchester United.
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Barcelona vs AC Milan – Neymar is Starring, Lionel Messi Scoring Again
A rivalry can be big only by name, because for the last few years, it’s not a really fair fight between Barcelona and AC Milan, a club in deep trouble after two or three years of completely mismanaging their transfer policy. On the happier side of the chasm, Neymar is playing like he’s in Brazil again, while Lionel Messi proves he hasn’t forgotten how to score and it’s only a matter of time before we’re going to see the numbers we’re used to from him.
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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Isn’t Scoring Because of Fitness Issues
While Barcelona keep on winning, there seems to be a minor problem growing within the team in the form of Lionel Messi not finding the net in four consecutive league matches, something that hasn’t happened in over two years.
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FC Barcelona – Neymar Making Lionel Messi Redundant
So it’s been four consecutive league matches without Lionel Messi scoring a goal. The last one he scored was back in September. Meanwhile, Barcelona don’t seem too bothered by it; not as long as they’re winning, keeping a six point lead over Real Madrid and getting quite a lot from Neymar and Alexis Sanchez, carrying the team through these weird and unexpected time.
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Messi’s Little Helpers – Neymar & Alexis Sanchez
There’s no real doubt about the fact that Lionel Messi is the king of FC Barcelona, but even he can’t do it on his own. This season has started well for him, but injuries have gotten somewhat in the way, while he didn’t score at all in the first Clasico of the season. Luckily, the club’s scoring problems when he’s not firing might be on their way to being solved due to the prolific Neymar and Alexis Sanchez.
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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Turns to Neymar & Alexis Sanchez
The first Clasico of the season was something of a weird one, especially when looking at the key players and heroes. Lionel Messi had a weak performance, hardly felt under heavy guard. Meanwhile, both Neymar and later Alexis Sanchez enjoyed enough freedom to score the goals put Barcelona all smiling when they got past the finish line.