ZenI
Professor Balthazar
2:12 is a good example of what I hope we've seen the end of- a needless bit of Neymar 1.0 flashy-dashy turning a 3v2 advantage on the left into a 1v2 disadvantage, then a nonproductive run central near the half line towards congestion, ignoring the open space he's left behind him on the left. Neymar 2.0 (based on his performances vs Madrid and Roma) would take advantage of the options his teammates offer, who he here relegates to the role of neutered spectators.
The way I judge a player's individual skill at Barça is 1) what are his teammates doing to support, and 2) how well the move takes advantage of that support and leads to a productive move. There are plenty of examples here of Neymar 1.0: fancy footwork that draws the eye, but lack of awareness of his teammates positioning to convert advantages into production. Watch the video once to enjoy his skills, then watch again to see what his teammates are doing, and how often their efforts are left hung out to dry. That is the Neymar I've found difficult to watch, the one that wastefully misses opportunity after opportunity to make a move productive; I hope we will continue to see more of what we've finally seen the last few games, which is a very different player.
Dude, 90% of the knowledgeable on this forum already discussed how Neymar changed from flashy dribbles that slowed up the play leading nowhere, to a team player. A player that is now a part of this holistic Barcelona where the sum is greater than its parts. And the same can be said about Messi, he has also left his teammates efforts out to dry on many occasions - but than we say "they're making space". You just can't capitalise 100% of your opportunities, not even the one and only Messi can. Neymar has been fantastic since 2 months, it was Messi's injury that made him pick up the playmaking in the absence of another playmaking forward. Another dimensions has been added to his game, great - enjoy. Messi was also much more wasteful when he was 24 - he also lacked much of the tactical awareness and playing for the team. But even if Ney has an off day, he still usually scores - what more do you want? He's improving beyond how many haters thought he would play AND he still wins us games even when not clicking 100%.
And btw, weren't you like Pedro's biggest fanboy? U probably still think Pedro would be better for the team than Ney is, right?