Barcelona coach Luis Enrique insists
Neymar’s skills should be enjoyed rather than criticised after the
Brazilian’s penchant for showboating once again came under the
spotlight.
Neymar JR |
Former Barca and Real Madrid midfielder
Michael Laudrup controversially slammed Neymar for displaying his full
range of tricks towards the end of Barca’s 5-1 thrashing of newly
promoted Leganes on Saturday.
“Ney has his own style, a style I think
is spectacular for football.
We enjoy it a lot at Barcelona,” Enrique
said on the eve of Barca’s blockbuster La Liga clash with Atletico
Madrid on Wednesday.
“There are many players that interpret
football like that. It is a cultural thing more common in South American
and particularly Brazilian players,” added Enrique.
“It is something that shouldn’t surprise anyone in Spanish football. He has been doing it since he got here.”
Neymar’s style has led to bad-tempered
clashes with Atletico in the past. However, Atletico boss Diego Simeone
claimed he is a big admirer of the 24-year-old.
“Everybody has their own style and way of playing. He is a player that I love,” said Simeone on Tuesday.
“They have criticised him, but he enjoys
himself, he dances, he sings and he destroys you. They can keep
criticising, but he keeps responding as he has to.”
Both sides come into the game in
free-scoring form after scoring five at the weekend. However, Enrique
believes Atletico will revert to type when they travel to the Camp Nou
and rely on their watertight defence to try and hold out against Neymar,
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
“Many teams now defend deep against
Atletico and give them the ball, so they are obliged to play more in
tight spaces. I don’t expect that against us,” said Enrique.
“They can press high or, without doubt,
they are the best team at defending close to their own area. That
explains the complexities in playing against Atletico Madrid.
“They are one of the best teams in La Liga and clearly a contender for all the titles as always in Simeone’s reign.”
Barca’s two wins over Atletico in La
Liga last season proved decisive in the title race as Simeone’s men
finished just three points adrift of the champions in third. However,
Atletico had their revenge by eliminating Barca in the Champions League
for the second time in three years.
“There hasn’t been an easy game against Atletico Madrid in the past few years,” added Enrique.
“They are a direct title rival and these are three very important points.”
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