Ney is Ney

Let's talk about Neymar.

What he did last Wednesday was extraordinary.

Football-wise he played an excellent game. He was where the team needed him to be.

Technically he is in great form and most of his take-ons are successful.

More generally, once again he showed up and supported the team in a crucial game. He never hides, he has always been reliable since his first game with the azulgrana shirt.

He asks for the ball,  he tries things. He says to his teammates: "Hey, I'm here, give it to me".
For years Messi has been the only one maintaining hope when things were going wrong for Barcelona. Now they have Neymar as well.

Yet this is the way he plays which has given a lot to talk about in the last days.

Yes he falls often. But does he dive ? No. He does exaggerate the way he falls, I must say. But he never fakes. He is easy to push down, he weighs so little and goes so fast ! But he does not fear the contact.

He does not look for the fouls. He wants to play, to take-on and enjoy the game. He is very similar to Messi on this aspect.

The way he dribbles is typically Brazilian. He touches the ball a lot, uses dummy moves... That gets on the nerves of the defenders. But is it Ney's problem ?

Here is good link if you need to check it out. :-D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u026tp4pnyY

The answer from the defenders is also typical. They kick and talk. 

However two things happen with the brazilian.

First, the more he gets kicked, the more he will dribble. So they will kick him harder. But he will still take them on ! Football-wise, this is a good tactics. The more angry the defender, the more he follows the dummy moves. So he gets passed more often !

Second, since they cannot take the ball,  they will threaten him verbally. And oh surprise, he will answer ! He does not hush. He can't stop talking, and he moves his hands a lot. You cannot see him being shy.

So here we go: kicking and threatening do not work. It is even worse for the adversary. 

Then we fall into what happened last Wednesday. 

The - almost- European Champions League winner got totally outplayed by a 22 year old boy that looked unstoppable. Atleti got frustrated and lost focus on playing football. They lost track, exploded at half time and their captain was sent off. His red card was not directly related with Neymar, but the electric atmosphere created by the brazilian surely helped.

The fact that Ney, only 22, could cope with all the kicking, threats and the crowd at the Calderón,  against such a rough team as Atlético de Madrid, is not normal. And the fact that he continously shows up in that kind of games makes it even more extraordinary.

We are very lucky to be able to see him wearing the n° 11 azulgrana shirt. 

Let's enjoy the years to come !!