This seems quite backwards coming from you.
If someone were to suggest we bench a player on poor form for a young player, your opinion is drastically different. Let's say someone feels Iniesta (Who has been poor for more months this season than not) should sit on the bench for a few games in place of Rafinha. Following the logic you put in this post one would think you'd be all for giving Rafinha minutes and putting Iniesta on the bench, but we both know that's not the case. Rather, you go on about "Chemistry" and how benching Iniesta for Rafinha would be ruining it just for the sake of forcing a young player in the lineup and how we'd be risking losing points and that, as Barca, is not an acceptable circumstance.
I get your point, but your example is slighty off because Rafinha is actually getting chances and minutes.
In his case, Rafinha is getting chances not because Iniesta is good or bad, but because Lucho is giving chances to Rafinha in order to develop him.
So, you see, when Iniesta is benched (or Rakitic), they don't whine. And Rakitic was benched/rotated a lot during the last few weeks.
Now, Neymar, Messi and Suarez are a different story.
Messi can walk for 6 Months (like in the last Season), but he is Messi.
You can't bench him.
If he plays good=ok, we are all happy
If he plays like a crap=he is Messi, you can't bench him.
The same is with Ney.
-- if he plays good=we are all happy
-- if he plays like a crap (not for one match, but for numerous matches in a row)=lol, nothing. He can't be benched. We paid 100 or 120 Millions for him, lol.
We are "prisoners" of MSN trio. Now, again, Messi is Messi, the greatest player. And even though it is wrong that he can't benched, I can somehow understand that.
But Ney, he is here for less than 2 Seasons and he hasn't won anything yet, and Suarez is here for a few Months.
None of them can't be benched.
That is just so wrong.
Some of you will reply: we can't bench them BECAUSE we don't have any alternatives, but that is only an alibi answer.
The truth is that we can't bench them because they are sacred cows and they have to play all the time.
We are not allowed to "upset" them.
And as I have said, that is all fine, as long as the results are good.
One day, we will fall into crisis again, and what then?
-- you can bench Bravo
-- you can bench Pique
-- you can bench Alves
-- you can bench Xavi, Iniesta, Rakitic
= you can bench everyone, but you can't bench the MSN trio no matter how good/bad they play
I understand you dislike Rossel and his Galactico policy and to an extent I agree with you, but there is no getting around at all that a Neymar who plays like shit is thrice the player Pedro will ever be for us.
This is not about Pedro.
I loved and still love Pedro, but I agree: he is not a starter material anymore.
He is a good puppet player currently, to play when we need to rest someone.
But again, I have a huge problem with that idiotism that Ney, Suarez (and Messi) can't be benched.
This is not healthy, and not fair towards other players.
Again, if Rakitic will play like a crap, he will be benched eventually.
When Pique was a crap, he was benched.
But again, what about Neymar? He can't be benched (the answer will be: when on form, he is awesome. Or we paid 100+ Millions for him).
So, I am personally not FOR Pedro.
I just want an option for EVERY PLAYER to be benched if he has a wrong attitude or if he plays like a crap for weeks.
I don't care about player's name, transfer price, his ego, twitter accounts or his past achievements.
Also, I am surprised how many fans here actually think that more or less it is ok that Msn trio plays always no matter what, because they are Msn. (Not you, I am talking in general)
So, we have one rule for 20 players, and different rules for Msn.
Well done, Rossel.
So, answering you: Neymar will be benched when we have a player decent enough to do better than him.
Well, you see, imo, we don't have a player decent enough to do better than Ney/Suarez when they are off form, because that is what the board/sport directors wanted.
They bought a superstars, with huge egos, and the board don't want to upset the Msn trio.
This summer we again won't buy anyone.
And even in summer 2016, we probably won't buy anyone, except for some new Pedro, or we will just promote a bunch of youngsters like Munir who will play when someone from Msn trio is injured or not available for some reason.
In Laporta's era and in first Rijkaard+Laporta's years, we used to have:
-- Ronaldinho, Etoo, Guily, Larsson, Messi fighting for 3 positions
-- more or less, only Ronaldinho had "the safe spot", and in the beginning it was good for a few years, but we all know what happened later (you can't give a secured place to anyone, over a longer period. That always causes problems once when the motivation slightly vanishes and when player's form drops)
The whole sporting project, transfers, key decisions, long term planning, dealing with players is just wrong on so many levels with this stupid board.
Luckily for them, we have Messi, so he is saving their asses and their Galacticos project.
But imagine if we wouldn't have Messi.
Then all 100 Millions Neymars, Suarez and Pogbas of this world wouldn't bring us CL trophies because their visions, planning an balancing are just wrong on so many levels.
(And no, I don't hate Ney, Suarez, Messi or anyone. I am just saying that the board is stupid and the way how they have built the club and how they are handling the consequences of their decisions)
anyone suggesting that can not be serious, otherwise they need to get themselves checked out!
I think Rafinha was an intelligent sub. We weren't really seeing many runs in behind (Pedro's forte), and Rafinha is more likely to attack on the dribble/pass through the middle. His linkup play is quicker/better than Neymar's, and with Xavi controlling, the ball was going to be safe. Pedro might have been the more conservative choice, but I think Lucho was after another goal to seal it.
