Barcelona continues to ride its win streak into the second leg of the Round of 16 matchup against Aresenal in Champions League play. This season Barcelona has been nearly unstoppable, and it is mostly because of its frontline of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. Barcelona is reaping the benefits of having three of the best players in the world on its roster. However, Neymar says the success goes beyond talent.
A lot has been made regarding the friendship of teammates this season. Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines when he made it clear that being friends with his Real Madrid teammates was not necessary. Neymar is making it clear that is not true. Messi, Suarez and Neymar joined Barcelona as rivals from three South American countries, but their developed friendship has played a key role in the club winning matches.
"[With Leo and Luis,] we get along very well," Neymar said. "Not only on the field, but mostly off it. Today I can say we became friends, and when that happens in football you help your mates even more during the matches. We developed a strong bond, being three South American players and 'rivals,' it's something very hard to accomplish, but we did it, playing together and forging a good friendship. But most importantly, it's working well on the field."
Messi agrees with his teammate. It would be very easy for egos to get in the way of this Barcelona squad, but instead Messi believes everyone is committed to making the others better. That is paying off in wins as the club holds a strong lead in La Liga play while making a run in the Champions League tournament. Any idea of a rivalry is being put to rest.
"The truth is we have a very good relationship on and off the pitch," Messi said. "We get on very well together. We aim to work as a team and that is good for us all to feel important. That is why confidence is so high."
Barcelona will need that confidence on Wednesday. The club has a 2-0 lead over Arsenal entering the second leg match, but that is not enough to make Barcelona comfortable. Getting upset by the Gunners would be a huge shock to the Champions League tournament, and Barcelona cannot overlook the team. The club is coming off a dominating 6-0 route against Getafe as manager Luis Enrique believes everyone's confidence is higher than ever right now.
"This is a unique team, different from the others," Enrique said. "They do things so easily that it seems the opponent cannot do anything."