Barcelona pull off Neymar coup but need for a defender cannot be overlooked

With Bayern Munich ending their recent run of near misses, lifting their fifth European crown at the fabled Wembley, the announcement of Barcelona’s acquisition of Neymar from Santos almost imitated the importance that came naturally with the crowning of new king in Europe. The Blaugrana have sent a message loud and clear to the rest of Europe – they mean business from the start of the new season.

The story surrounding Neymar had been circulating for quite some time. On the 31^st of May, Santos announced it had received two substantial bids for their young starlet, whose contract was set to run out at the end of next season. And rather than seeing their prized asset walk away for free, the Santos board felt the time was right to cash in on their prized possession.

It was an open secret that the Spanish duo of Real Madrid and Barcelona were on the trail of the 21 year old for some time. Both the clubs have extensively scouted the player for some time and in case of Barcelona, they spent the last two summers trying to prize the player away from Santos, but with little success.

Barcelona had two bids rejected for the player in recent weeks before their final bid of € 28 million for the club and an annual salary of € 7 million for the player accepted. Real Madrid had actually submitted the better bid of the two with an offer of € 35 million to Santos and an annual salary offer of € 11 million for the player which would have seen him become one of the highest earners at the club.

But Neymar rejected the chance to become a Galactico to play alongside Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp and the neutrals are already salivating at the prospect of seeing him partner the Argentine magician in attack.

However, not everyone associated with the club is over the moon with the acquisition of Neymar. Dutch legend Johann Cruyff, whose love for the club is beyond any question and has seen him earn many detractors over the years criticized the club’s signing of the South American, saying: “Two captains on the same boat cannot work. We should have learned from the past.”

It cannot be said that Cruyff has been wrong with his remarks. There have been plenty of instances in the past when big name players were relegated to supporting roles or cast aside in order to allow the Argentine magician to show his true colors: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, David Villa – all have tried to shine in Messi’s presence but could not steal the spotlight away from the diminutive Messi. So, will the club’s acquisition of another big name player change the scenario? Not many people seem to believe so.

The club sees the arrival of Neymar as an opportunity to shake off their over reliance on Messi, even though they plan to retain the la Masia graduate as their best talent for years to come. Barcelona have looked an entirely different side in the absence of their talismanic No. 10 this season – the matches against Paris Saint-Germain, Real Betis and Bayern Munich all point to this very uncomfortable situation for the Blaugrana. Messi, without a doubt, brings a so-called X factor to the team that very few others are capable of - excluding maybe Cristiano Ronaldo. And that was one of the main reasons the club wanted to bring in the most sought after player outside of Europe to ease the burden off Messi.

Assistant manager Jordi Roura hailed the signing of Neymar, saying: “He’s a spectacular player and any club would love to have him.” But still the question is he the player the club needed at this point?

Barcelona has scored 115 goals in la Liga this term and has equaled Real Madrid’s league record 100 points. Even with the likes of David Villa and Alexis Sanchez failing to match their best, the club could still boast of its capacity as the best attacking unit in la Liga and one of the best in Europe.

In reality, the € 28 million Barcelona spent on Neymar could have easily spent on any other player except a striker. The Blaugrana defense has been calling out for a new signing for quite some time with a new partner for Gerard Pique the need of the hour. Carles Puyol is not getting any younger and injuries have limited his playing time drastically this season.

If anything, there was no other match that displayed that showed Barcelona’s need for a new defender than the two legged tie against Bayern Munich where they conceded seven goals. The club’s preferred pair of Thiago Silva and Mats Hummels might not be available this summer but there are plenty of defenders in Europe and the world who are more than capable of putting on the claret and blue shirt.

Neymar is, no doubt, a special player, but nothing more as yet. He is nowhere near the class of Messi or Ronaldo, and to place him on the same high pedestal as these players would be wrong. Coming from Brazil at 21 years of age, he brings the usual baggage that has been attributed in such cases. He will need to mature overnight and learn a very strict club code. The chances of him pulling a “Robinho” and flopping cannot be overlooked.

Last but not least, will he be able to adapt to the club’s philosophy? Dubbed one of the world’s best, he may want to hold possession to show that he is just that. Imagine him next season holding the ball most of the time with his new team-mates begging for a pass. It will surely take time for Neymar to adapt.

Barcelona drew first blood in this year’s summer transfer market with a big coup, one that has left Real Madrid in an uneasy situation as they try to respond; such is the way in the Spanish system. Whether this move will prove to be a successful one is however open to debate.

(with inputs from InsideFutbol.com)
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Posted by Subham Mitra on behalf of FootballWorld.