Team Focus: Why Neymar Wasn't the Priority for Barcelona

At 57 millions euros, Neymar has become the second most expensive signing in the history of Barcelona after that of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. According to club vice-president Josep Maria Bartolomeu the transfer would have been 10m euros less were it not for competition from other clubs driving up the price. The player himself claimed to have had six offers. One was supposedly from Barcelona’s rivals Real Madrid. 

Explaining why they missed out on one of the most sought-after players in world football, president Florentino Perez revealed his belief that “[Neymar] would have cost us more than 150m euros.” Coming before Barcelona themselves had revealed how much they had paid, it led to great speculation. As it turned out, the fee didn’t quite climb that high. But even so the outlay they have made is still enough to make Neymar the ninth most expensive player of all-time following his move from Santos. 

The question everyone’s asking of course is will he be worth it? The evolution of this debate is curious. Back in 2010, the 18-year-old Neymar was the subject of a bid from Chelsea, but upon review he chose to stay at Santos feeling it was too early in his development to leave. 

At the time, it was hailed as a sensible decision. Neymar wasn’t ready. Leaving then would have been a risk. He might have struggled to adapt, had little playing time at the club and got burned by the experience. Better to fill out a bit, grow in confidence and mature. Neymar did just that. He inspired Santos to their first Copa Libertadores triumph since the days of Pele. 

They then lost the Club World Cup final to Barcelona in Yokohama and perhaps he should have left then. But it was Santos’ centenary year and besides, his talent transcended Brazil. People were talking about him all over the world. So there was disappointment when he generally failed to impress, like against Barça for his club and other European opposition for his country - scoring three goals and three assists in 10 games of that type for Brazil. 

Those performances led to the conviction that Neymar struggles to make an impact against top-class defences and specifically teams who made themselves compact. He didn’t face many of these in Brazil. Those at home tended to stand off Neymar. Referees were also quick to protect him, whistling for a foul if anyone got tight and a little bit rough. 

It was easier for him to shine. Playing within a comfort zone also led to the belief that, unchallenged, his development has plateaued. And so, when it did eventually come, the move to Europe felt long overdue and the doubts surrounding Neymar were many even though he left South America having scored 136 goals in 225 appearances for Santos. 

Writing on this theme and amid reports that Real Madrid were preparing a bid for Gareth Bale, AS editorialist Alberto Relaño asked himself if the Tottenham player is better than Neymar. “A safer bet, I’d say,” he argued. “Neymar could be the phenomenon of the next 10 years but there is the feeling he’s yet to be tested at the highest level. With Bale there is the certainty that you are buying what you are seeing.” 

There’s certainly some merit to that argument and, anyway, you wonder if Barcelona even need Neymar. By signing him, they do freshen things up a bit and provide the kind of jolt teams sometimes need to ward off staleness and kickstart a new cycle. While not necessarily a Plan B, he does add an element of unpredictability to the final third. Not that their attack is lacking in potency, mind.

Barça scored 115 goals in La Liga last season, more than any under Pep Guardiola. That also compares favourably with Europe’s other league champions: Bayern Munich [98, albeit in a 34 game season], Manchester United [86], Juventus [71] and Paris Saint-Germain [69]. In all competitions, Barça managed 154. Lionel Messi contributed 60 on his own and, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Villa can attest, his explosion as a goalscorer has made the forward line a difficult place for fellow strikers to play in. Ibra was marginalised. So too, in the end, was Villa.

Will it be any different with Neymar? And if not, then what would that mean for Barça’s other attacking players: the aforementioned Villa who is expected to leave, Alexis Sanchez who may yet follow him out of the club, Pedro, Cristian Tello, the next big thing out of La Masia - Gerard Deulofeu, and what about the polyvalent Cesc Fabregas, who has often played as a false nine since returning to the Camp Nou? 

Barça certainly have options, which you need if you are to challenge on three fronts. But they also give the impression of being top-heavy, maybe even lacking in balance. Highest scorers in La Liga last season, they also conceded 40 goals despite allowing the fewest shots [345]. By contrast, Bayern let in 18*, Paris Saint-Germain 23 and Juventus 24. Only Manchester United picked the ball out their own net more among fellow champions of Europe’s top five leagues, doing so 43 times.

Unable to keep a clean sheet for longer than three matches in all competitions this season, Barça went without one for 13 games through the spring. It’s a concern. Incidentally only on two other occasions in the last decade has a team won La Liga after letting in as many goals as Barça did this season: They were Vicente del Bosque and Fabio Capello’s Real Madrid sides in 2002-03 and 2006-07 respectively. Would it not be better then to invest in the defence or greater cover for it? 

Javi Martinez was supposedly a target last summer. A colossus of the Athletic Bilbao side that reached and lost the finals of the Europa League and the Copa del Rey, he showed an ability to play in midfield and defence, a trait that appeals to Barça who, in recent memory, have converted nominal holders like Yaya Toure and Javier Mascherano into centre-backs. But they balked at his 40m euro buy-out clause, finding it too expensive. Bayern Munich paid it instead, justifying the transfer on the basis that they felt their team had a specific need and it was worth paying over the odds to ensure it was met. Barça settled for Alex Song. 

Hindsight is 20-20, but wouldn’t the money they budgeted for Neymar [around 40m euros according to Bartolomeu] have been better spent on Martinez a year ago? At 6ft 3in he would have added some much-needed height and physicality to a team that won the fewest aerial duels per game [9.5] in Europe’s top five leagues last season. To put that into perspective Wigan [10.3] and Brest [11.8] recorded the next fewest, and they both got relegated. Obviously, Barça aren’t under threat of demotion to the second tier but it’s a weakness which compounds their frailty in defence, and one that opponents in the Champions League might well look to make the most of. 

With the future of goalkeeper Victor Valdes still uncertain and Carles Puyol, now 35, only being fit enough to make 12 starts in La Liga last season, the remaining components of the backline that helped Barça open a cycle and win the Champions League in 2006 could be about to change. It’s a delicate time. 

Apart from Gerard Pique, none of the centre-backs they have signed since then - the often injured Gabi Milito [£17.6m] in 2007, young Henrique [£7m] and Martin Caceres [£14.5m] in 2008, then Dmytro Chygrynskiy [£22m] in 2009 - are still at the club. Marc Bartra hasn’t entirely convinced on graduating from La Masia either. Asking midfielders and full-backs to do a job there can’t go on. 

“We need to reinforce this position,” coach Tito Vilanova says. “I’ve always said this."

So while the prospect of watching Neymar holds a certain fascination, perhaps closer attention should be paid to just how satisfactorily Barça resolve their defensive issues this summer.