Is Neymar the right fit for Barcelona?

Neymar during the official presentation at Camp Nou
Stadium on July, 3. 

"With Neymar now on board, I would have made plans to sell Messi."

Those words come from world legend and former Barca president Johan Cruyff, shortly after Barcelona secured Neymar's transfer from Santos for 57 million euros.

Does it mean Neymar and the Argentinian star cannot coexist? Does it mean their egos, assuming they both have one, will interfere with Barcelona's thirst of victory? Some say Neymar understands the importance of Messi and that he would do everything to play for Messi, just like Iniesta, Xavi and others do. Others believe the story will end up just like it did when Ibrahimovic joined Barca. Two great players on a single team can lead to problems, on and off the field. However, we have to admit that Ibra is a little special and has a massive ego.

Barcelona right back Dani Alves is certain the two players will get along:

"They will be the bomb next season," he told reporters. "They will have a very positive connections. Neymar is happy to play with Messi. They will have no problems because they are both very humble."

Even Messi reassured everyone, saying that Neymar was a great catch for the club.

"Hopefully, Neymar can make a good contribution next season and can continue to demonstrate the sort of performances he's achieved with Brazil and Santos," the four-time Golden Ball winner said.

But another question persists: Can Neymar be as good as he is in Brazil while facing solid defense in Europe? It is no secret that the Brazilian league lacks any real defensive challenges. Neymar can be seen on YouTube dribbling three or four defenders and scoring a decent amount of goals, but he was playing in Brazil!

Past critics quieted a little after Neymar's great showing during the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. The 20 year-old player scored four goals and had one assist. He played a major role in Brazil's success over Spain in the final.

One thing is certain, the new signing has a lot of pressure on his shoulder after becoming the second biggest transfer of Barcelona history (behind Ibrahimovic). So does Barcelona, who invested those 57 million with one objective in mind: Win the Champions League and avoid another humiliation like the one they suffered last season in semifinal against Bayern Munich (0-7 in aggregate).

Who believes in Neymar? Answer our poll question, right on the side of this article! 

Brazil on The Top of The World!

Brazil striker Fred celebrates his first goal against Spain during the
FIFA 2013 Confederations Cup at the Maracana on Sunday, June 30.
Brazil defeated European and World Champions Spain 3-0.

Brazil won the Confederations Cup after dominating Spain 3-0 at the Maracana Stadium, Rio De Janeiro, on Sunday, June 30.

What was the first opposition between the two countries since 1999 (a friendly game that ended 0-0), turned out to be a spectacular showcase of football by the country that lives, breathes, and dies for the game.

In a brand new Maracana stadium, the Brazilian players did not wait long to get in the game. Their solid pressure forced Spain to lose the ball quickly and  give away a goal after only two minutes of play. Brazilian striker Fred, despite being on the ground, was faster than Casillas, and kicked the ball into the net after a defensive error by Pique, Ramos, and Casillas together.

The crowd, already pretty excited, was now boiling! Brazil had done the hardest part: Scoring a goal to the best team in the world. And the game was far from over.

Spain had to get back in the game and they tried, but never succeeded. Brazil kept pressuring Spanish players who, weirdly, appeared to have forgotten how to play football. They missed touches and passes, and simply could not make more than five passes without losing the ball. On Sunday, Brazil was playing football while Spain looked lost on the field.

Pushed by an awesome crowd, Brazil kept passing the ball around and challenging danger the Spanish defense every time they had the ball. And finally, the inevitable happened. Brazil scored a second goal off the foot of its growing star and new Barcelona player, Neymar. The 19 year-old striker hit a missile under Casillas cross-bar, giving Brazil a 2-0 lead just a few minutes before halftime.

Neymar, elected man of the match, scores the second goal for Brazil
despite a last defensive attempt by Alvaro Arbeloa during the confederations
Cup final at the Maracana on Sunday, June 30. 

Neymar, who scored four goals and had one assist in five games, showed the world that he is one of the best players out there. Barcelona was probably pleased to see that their investment was a good one, his future Spanish teammates simply could not handle him on Sunday. Let's hope he keeps it up for the upcoming season.

In my opinion, there is two ways to beat Spain: Chelsea's way, where you park the bus in front of the goal and play every counter attack at 200 percent, and Brazil's way, where you put a lot of pressure during the entire game (which is no easy feat, but Brazil did an amazing job at it) and by being able to keep the ball and use it wisely when you have it. Brazil managed that with great technical players all over the field. Not a single player had a technical breakdown under Spain's famous defensive pressure. Indeed, in the second half, Spain never battled to get the ball back like they usually do. They waited in the back, praying for an opponent's mistake. It never came.

"We are not robots," Spanish defender Sergio Ramos said after the game. "We were meant to lose a big game at some point."

It's true, they aren't robots, because a robot who have scored the penalty kick awarded to Spain after a foul on substitute Jesus Navas (53'). They are not robots because robots know better than to let Sergio Ramos, probably the worst penalty-taker of the entire Spain squad, take the PK which could have put them back in the game!

A few minutes before that, Fred had scored a third goal for Brazil and his second of the game (47'). Spain conceded two of Brazil's three goals shortly after kick-offs, even though every coach in the world says that the first 15 minutes of a game are the most important ones.

"Brazil were a bit lucky," Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said. "But I will not make excuses for our loss. Brazil are the deserved winners and we have to congratulate them."

While Del Bosque considers Brazil lucky in the two goals they scored at the beginning of each half, he certainly admits that Brazil was better than his team. The second half was simply a disaster for Spain. Sure, they were unlucky sometimes, but most of the time they faced a great Julio Cesar, decisive on Spain's rare opportunities. Spain lived a nightmare in a Maracana crowded with ecstatic fans. And as a cherry on the top of the humiliation cake, Gerard Pique would receive a straight red card for a terrible challenge after Neymar showed his skills and speed.

Spain defender Gerard Pique fouls Neymar as he goes toward the goal
during the Confederations Cup final at the Maracana on Sunday, June 30.
Pique was sent off for the challenge. 

This game was news to the world of football. On one hand, it tells us that Brazil is slowly but surely growing as a team and a serious contender for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On the other hand, it gives us the impression that Spain's domination is coming to an end with aging players and a strategy that has been now analyzed by every coach in the world--a strategy that does not allow Spain to change the way they play according to their opponent. Players are so used to playing one and only one way, that they seem incapable to adapt. They sure look like robots after all.      

Jese and Deulofeu: Spain's Bright Future

Spain Gerard Deulofeu, 19, is one of the attraction
of the 2013 U-20 FIFA World Cup.

If you are paying attention to the U-20 2013 FIFA World Cup in Turkey, you are looking at the future of football. Twenty-four countries battle for the precious world title. 

Among them is Spain. The senior team, with players like Iniesta, Xavi, Torres and Casillas, has been dominating the world for the past five years. But with most of them getting old, one could believe that the domination is coming to an end. One could not be more wrong!  

Indeed, the U-20 Spanish team is full of great potential and it plays just like the "Roja"--Spain's first team--which means players are learning from a young age how to keep the ball, put pressure on the opponent and be aggressive when they lose the ball. 

And, if the senior team counts on Iniesta or Xavi to create opportunities, the U-20 team can count on  Jese Rodriguez (20) and Gerard Deulofeu (19). The two youngsters are the stars of the World Cup and have already shown their skills. Jese scored four goals in three matchs, while Deulofeu found the net twice, playing only two games. In addition, both had one assist. 

Jese Rodriguez, Spain's #10, has already scored four goals
after three games. He is the future of Spain and Real Madrid.

But apart from the statistics, what's impressive is how they dominate the game. They are faster and technically better than any other players their age and are already showing the confidence needed at the high level. Future stars for sure--as long as they keep working and keep their feet on the ground. 

The two players also have a bright future with their clubs. Deulofeu, a Barcelona player, played 68 games with the reserve team, scoring 24 times. He only played twice with the first team, but great clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, are already interested for him to be part of a loan for the next season. The same applies to Jese. The Real Madrid striker scored 32 goals in 80 games with the B team and played one game along side Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Ozil and Co.

Keep your eyes open for these two. Their faces are going to be all over your TV screens in the coming years.     

Brazil and Spain at the top; Tahiti leaves, still smiling

Neymar celebrates after scoring a free kick against Italy
on Saturday, June 22. Italy won 4-2.

The first round of the Confederations Cup ended last night with the final games of Group B.

Without real problems, Spain defeated Nigeria (3-0) and Uruguay took second place after dominating Tahiti (8-0). Once again, Spain showed great football, leaving no chance to their opponents and confirming that they were the grand favorites of the competition with Brazil. Their "tiki-taka" playing style works perfectly and the players seem to enjoy it. Obviously, when you can have nine players from Barcelona on the field, the chemistry is at its top. 

Brazil and their new star Neymar proved to the world they were ready to battle for the title. Their victory 4-2 over Italy was an example of the offensive power of the team. And with only two goals conceded in the past five games, Brazil seems to have found a balanced and solid defense, which was one of their main problems in previous years. 

The whole world is now dreaming of a Spain-Brazil final. A real test for both teams, one to ensure its domination, the other one to show its country that they could win the 2014 World Cup. 

But the attraction of the competition was Tahiti, the underdog who qualified after winning the Oceania Cup. With only one professional player, the 148th world team left Brazilian fans and their opposing teams with a big smile and a new understanding of football. 

Tahitian players say goodbye to the fans after their 8-0
loss to Uruguay on Sunday, June 23.

Although, some teams (that did not qualify for the competition) complain about the presence of Tahiti in Brazil because of its poor showing (the team scored one goal and gave up 24 goals), most football enthusiasts fell in love with the team that fought with its heart, battled for every ball and played the game, never really giving up (not even against Spain). 

Of course we can criticize Tahiti's tactics, saying that they should have parked the bus in front of the goal and defended the entire game. But then, Tahitian players knew they were going to lose every game by a huge margin, so why not try to play and hope to score on a counter attack or off a corner kick? Their strategy was successful against Nigeria.

However, we can argue about the coach's decisions to not give playing time to all players, and to some, a mere three minutes...

The Confederations Cup continues Wednesday and Thursday with the Semifinals. On Wednesday, Brazil will take on Uruguay and, on Thursday, Italy will try to take a revenge on Spain, that defeated them in the 2012 Euro Final.

   

Tahiti or The True Face of Happiness

They are salesmen, drivers, teachers or unemployed, but for seven days, they get to be under the spotlight with the stars. They are the Tahiti national football team!

Since last Sunday, the world has discovered a touching and likable football team in the professional world of the Confederations Cup. Among Nigeria, Uruguay and World Champion Spain, Tahiti is living a dream.

It's a dream that came true a year ago, when Tahiti won the Oceania cup, defeating New Caledonia (1-0). However, the scenes of joy at the end of that game were nothing compared to the elation the players felt when they accomplished one of their objectives: scoring a goal.

They were all waiting for it, the Tahitian fans, the Brazilians who decided to cheer for the underdog--a major underdog. Painted in red and white, with flower shirts and leis around the neck, they cheered for the Toa Aito ("Iron Warriors") every time the team had the ball! And then it came...

Jonathan Tehau is now the face of Tahiti all around the world. The first tahitian goal-scorer in an international FIFA competition. The 24 year-old player scored on a header off a corner kick by Marama Vahirua, the only professional player of the team.

Tahiti showed the world the real face of Football: passion, happiness, fun, respect and humility. When the players take on the field, they enjoy being there, playing with their heart and with a smile on their face from the first kick to the last.

Despite two major losses (1-6 to Nigeria and 0-10 to Spain), Tahiti is loved by Brazilians, but also by their opponents. After the game against Spain, Fernando Torres said Tahiti was an example for other teams.

"All of us have become big fans of that team. We have all had our photos taken together. It was a joy to play in that match and not just because we won easily, but because they were sporting and despite losing they played with a smile on their faces."

Spain manager, Vicente Del Bosque added that Tahitian players played fairly and that "every time they had the ball, they tried to attack us."

It's not something you see every day against Spain. And, when most teams would have played tough football after conceding so many goals, Tahiti kept playing its way, while respecting the game and the opponent. Each player wanted to enjoy their time on the field, staying as long as possible, maybe hoping that it would never stop... 

Tahiti has one more game to play Sunday against Uruguay. Ninety minutes of pure pleasure, smiles, happiness, and the dream will be over. The "stars" for a week will get back to their everyday lives, minds filled with memories. And they'll leave us with cheerful hearts...