MESSI AND NEYMAR FACE CRITICISMS AFTER BIG LOSS
South American duo of Lionel Messi and Neymar were criticized heavily after the heavy loss to Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League round of eight on Tuesday.
The duo were decent but they failed to match expectations in Turin.
Spanish news sources rated the Brazilian poorly while fans went online to rip what was left. Fans accused Neymar of appearing and disappearing tactics though the player gave the Juve defence a really tough time.
Luis Suarez was the biggest culprit as he was not as obvious as expected. The Uruguayan barely gave a commanding appearance as expected on the big occasion. The defenders seemed prepared for him as they barely let him breathe. He had a shot but it went wide.
Messi was quite visible during the game as he made brilliant runs through the Italian wall. He scored a goal but it was ruled offside. The Argentine was frustrated by a focused and determined Juve side. The two goals in the first half made the hosts more confident and more difficult for the Catalan outfit.
The Argentine star was in the news ahead of the Juve match for allegedly asking the coach Luis Enrique to drop Andre Gomes and Jeremy Mathieu. Messi expressed doubts over Mathieu’s ability to manage Gonzalo Higuain who has netted 27 times this term.
The La Liga defending champions were shocked as they lost 2-0 to Malaga over the weekend, further denting their hopes of overthrowing leaders Real Madrid with few games to spare.
The team faces a tough task of upturning the loss in the second leg at Camp Nou. Juventus have been vocal about remaining calm ahead of the follow up, seeing what befell PSG.