Neymar Jr | PSG | 2017/2018 performances

I hope he comes up against Messi in the final of the Champions League. The master vs the apprentice. Good vs Evil. "Its over Neymar i have the high ground" as Messi collects his medal while Neymar is crying on the pitch. :drool:
 
@BBRBB
But not many sides go in for the kill like PSG because they constantly have something to prove imo.
Its almost like they know what verybody thinks so sets out to destroy sides to prove a point when other sides would ease off. Bayern v Celtic is a case in point. Celtic were as bad that night as they were v you lot.
Hell Utd and City are examples of this, all of our big wins came at the start of the season when we both set out to make a statement. Now wins matter so you don't see those 90 minutes of constant pressure on downed opponents.
PSG do and all credit to them.
That's a good point. A few seasons ago PSG would often slow down when 2 or 3 goals up and pass the ball around until full time, now players are pushing to add more goals until the end.

I'm surprised by your statement about City though, I think they're just a bit off form at the moment. Pep's Barca and Bayern used to press the score for the whole game too.
 
Neymar didn't tear La Liga apart last year though.
We all knew Neymar would play like this in France for a reason, his true form is somewhere inbetween.

It is Neymar. Ligue 1 or not, he'd tear a new arsehole in any damn league he plays in he's that good. I think we all can agree Ligue 1 is not as strong as the other leagues, nor is it as bad as is made out but regardless.. Neymar is proven in La Liga, he's proven in the CL and the international stage.

If there is one thing we can all agree on, he's a world class once in a generation level talent and any league would be blessed by his presence and he would be in the running for player of the year, grabbing 20-30+ goals in any league if the team is built around him - he's simply that good.

Great thing about him is that he plays to entertain and can still post great numbers.
 
It is Neymar. Ligue 1 or not, he'd tear a new arsehole in any damn league he plays in he's that good. I think we all can agree Ligue 1 is not as strong as the other leagues, nor is it as bad as is made out but regardless.. Neymar is proven in La Liga, he's proven in the CL and the international stage.

If there is one thing we can all agree on, he's a world class once in a generation level talent and any league would be blessed by his presence and he would be in the running for player of the year, grabbing 20-30+ goals in any league if the team is built around him - he's simply that good.

Great thing about him is that he plays to entertain and can still post great numbers.

He isn't a once in a generation talent if he has been behind Ronaldo and Messi all these years. He is a top 5 player in the world at this particular time.
 
He isn't a once in a generation talent if he has been behind Ronaldo and Messi all these years. He is a top 5 player in the world at this particular time.

Playing in the same era as Messi, doesn't mean he isn't once in a generation. Messi is top 3 of all time, he's unlucky to be playing in the same era.

Ronaldo is possibly top 5-15 of all time, so he's up against two superhuman talents in a historical context.

He's a special talent who hasn't quite peaked yet, but in terms of his ability.. he should really end up being the defining player of the era post Messi/Ronaldo and if he doesn't - that is more on his lack of dedication to making that happen, rather than for want of talent.
 
@Peyroteo go take a look at his goals from that season. Roles aren't about starting positions in modern football
 
@Peyroteo go take a look at his goals from that season. Roles aren't about starting positions in modern football

He scored 42 goals, 19 of them were through set pieces (corners, free kicks and penalties). A whole bunch of them were counter attacks or long shots and the others are mostly crosses or him dribbling from the wing. Just because he showed up in the box a lot to finish crosses doesn't make him a striker and he most certainly wasn't one at all.
 
Great player but that is horrible not giving the penalty to Cavani in a 8-0 trashing.
 
*11 goals. Why are you including non-league goals when we are talking about a league comparison? So he scored 2 more league goals...

1. He was a better player during 15/16 than he was during 14/15.
2. He was United's #1 attacking player and they tried to get the ball to him as much as possible.
3. He played 44% more minutes in the league in 15/16 than he did in 14/15.

Nice try though.

I said England mate, not the Premier League. Read the post, before you go 'Nice try'.
The fact that he had no issues, going from France to England [Hence he became United's No. 1 Attacking threat] kinda proves my point.
Also, nice try.
 
His goal scoring rate was similar in his first season in the PL to his last season in France. He was 18, 19 years old in those seasons so it is hard to compare as you expect the player to significantly develop each year at that age.

Hazard scored more goals in France as a youngster than he ever has in England in his prime years.

No, the fact that Martial had virtually 0 issues going from France to England, shows that the leap isn't high. That's what I was alluding to. It's really not that tough to comprehend.
 
I said England mate, not the Premier League. Read the post, before you go 'Nice try'.
The fact that he had no issues, going from France to England [Hence he became United's No. 1 Attacking threat] kinda proves my point.
Also, nice try.

:lol: Bit of a simpleton, aren't you? Clearly I read your post, seeing as I even referred to the fact you were talking about goals in England as whole, as opposed to just the PL.

The point I was making, is that in the context of this thread, we are talking about a cross LEAGUE comparison, hence why people are discussing how many goals Neymar would score in the PREMIER LEAGUE, not how many goals he would score in England as whole, seeing as that makes absolutely no sense for two reasons:

1. CL goals - there's no difference between playing these games regardless of what country a player is in.
2. Domestic cups - seeing as these are often against lower-league competition.

Therefore, anybody with any sense would be discussing league goals only, clearly this is a step too far for you to comprehend.

On the second point - as I already mentioned, he was a better player throughout his first season at United than he was the previous season at Monaco. Using renounced talented young players like Martial is often a poor example - as it is in this case - for the specific reason that these types of players are usually developing at a quick-rate.

So again, nice try.
 
No, the fact that Martial had virtually 0 issues going from France to England, shows that the leap isn't high. That's what I was alluding to. It's really not that tough to comprehend.

If there isn't a difference in quality between the top leagues and the French leagues then why do players like Zlatan and Lacazette see their goal scoring productivity halved when making the move. Players like Depay, Gomis and Baloteli see their goal scoring productivity increase massively when they move to France from England?

How do you explain Neymar's productivity almost doubling in terms of goals and assists when he moves to France?

Using established players making the switch in recent years gives a good indication.

That's not to say that a player from the French league couldn't be a top player in the PL if they switched, Kante is one in recent years, but the general trend says you should be sceptial of that happening.
 
If there isn't a difference in quality between the top leagues and the French leagues then why do players like Zlatan and Lacazette see their goal scoring productivity halved when making the move. Players like Depay, Gomis and Baloteli see their goal scoring productivity increase massively when they move to France from England?

How do you explain Neymar's productivity almost doubling in terms of goals and assists when he moves to France?

Using established players making the switch in recent years gives a good indication.

That's not to say that a player from the French league couldn't be a top player in the PL if they switched, Kante is one in recent years, but the general trend says you should be sceptial of that happening.
Payet did better in England than he did in France. There's a difference in quality obviously, but it isn't as big as others suggest. There are 6 teams in England of real quality everyone else is rather mediocre. Also important to note that he's the main man in one of the best teams in Europe that plays attacking football, his stats are bound to be impressive. Zlatan played for the same side then moved to a team that is struggling for goals, Lacazette is in the midst of a Arsenal crisis. Neymar is the star player in one of the best attacking teams in the world. In that same role, he'd put up huge numbers anywhere. At Barca he had big stats in his second and third season. Scoring 30 plus goals and 15 plus assists despite not being the main man(thus no pens and free kicks) and playing in what he feels is his best role. His stats have doubled from a rather underwhelming season from him compared to his previous 2.
 
His stats have doubled from a rather underwhelming season from him compared to his previous 2.

Not true, his best goals and assists tally was 36 in 34 games in the Spanish league. He has 26 in 15 games in France, so from 1.06 goals and assists per game to 1.73 goals and assists per game. Big difference.
 
Not true, his best goals and assists tally was 36 in 34 games in the Spanish league. He has 26 in 15 games in France, so from 1.06 goals and assists per game to 1.73 goals and assists per game. Big difference.
He's also the main man which allows him to play as a wide play maker instead of a wide forward. Take all the set pieces. All that adds up.
 
He's also the main man which allows him to play as a wide play maker instead of a wide forward. Take all the set pieces. All that adds up.

Payet didn't do better in England than he did in France in terms of goals and assists either. He did pretty much the same as his last season in France the season he joined West Ham and then pretty much the same so far in France as his last season in the PL.

I agree with your point that the difference isn't that great between the leagueS, although this season I think the PL is as strong as it has been for a while whilst the French league is kind of dead outside PSG.
 
He's also the main man which allows him to play as a wide play maker instead of a wide forward. Take all the set pieces. All that adds up.
Exactly, he was Messi's lieutenant and a secondary option in Barca and now has a "Messi role" in Paris aloowing him to get closer to Messi stats.

That kind of dynamic is common in American leagues and especially NBA where you have to be the franchise player to shine the brightest.

To be clear I'm not denying that in some games the gulf in class between clubs is a factor in providing high scores but the presumed weak level of L1 is often overstated. (extended talks about L1 may be better taken to the L1 thread)
 
If there isn't a difference in quality between the top leagues and the French leagues then why do players like Zlatan and Lacazette see their goal scoring productivity halved when making the move. Players like Depay, Gomis and Baloteli see their goal scoring productivity increase massively when they move to France from England?

How do you explain Neymar's productivity almost doubling in terms of goals and assists when he moves to France?

Using established players making the switch in recent years gives a good indication.

That's not to say that a player from the French league couldn't be a top player in the PL if they switched, Kante is one in recent years, but the general trend says you should be sceptial of that happening.

When did Zlatan's productivity get 'halved'? He was on course for 35+ goals in a season when United weren't nearly as good as we are now.
 
:lol: Bit of a simpleton, aren't you? Clearly I read your post, seeing as I even referred to the fact you were talking about goals in England as whole, as opposed to just the PL.

The point I was making, is that in the context of this thread, we are talking about a cross LEAGUE comparison, hence why people are discussing how many goals Neymar would score in the PREMIER LEAGUE, not how many goals he would score in England as whole, seeing as that makes absolutely no sense for two reasons:

1. CL goals - there's no difference between playing these games regardless of what country a player is in.
2. Domestic cups - seeing as these are often against lower-league competition.

Therefore, anybody with any sense would be discussing league goals only, clearly this is a step too far for you to comprehend.

On the second point - as I already mentioned, he was a better player throughout his first season at United than he was the previous season at Monaco. Using renounced talented young players like Martial is often a poor example - as it is in this case - for the specific reason that these types of players are usually developing at a quick-rate.

So again, nice try.

Mate, even in cup competition. We faced Premier league opponents. Do you remember his solo goal vs Everton in the FA Cup? And why the feck would that get chalked out of comparison. It's like talking to a brick wall.
 
When did Zlatan's productivity get 'halved'? He was on course for 35+ goals in a season when United weren't nearly as good as we are now.

PSG 15/16 (Ligue One):

Minutes - 2,553
Goals - 38
Minutes Per Goal - 67

Man Utd 16/17 (Premier League):

Minutes - 2,437
Goals - 17
Minutes Per Goal - 143
 
PSG 15/16 (Ligue One):

Minutes - 2,553
Goals - 38
Minutes Per Goal - 67

Man Utd 16/17 (Premier League):

Minutes - 2,437
Goals - 17
Minutes Per Goal - 143

Now go ahead compare his teammates at the respective clubs. And the average league position.
 
Mate, even in cup competition. We faced Premier league opponents. Do you remember his solo goal vs Everton in the FA Cup? And why the feck would that get chalked out of comparison. It's like talking to a brick wall.

Why the feck are we even using Martial as an example when comparing the strengths of these 2 leagues? As I said, you're talking about a player who was constantly getting better and who played nearly twice as many minutes FFS, of course he scored more goals.

Now look at some deadwood from the Premier League like Balotelli and Thauvin who are tearing up Ligue One.
 
Here's the thing, if PSG was in the Premier League, they'd give City a run for their money and could win the Premier League themselves; they'd definitely be above this current Manchester United side IMO. So all this talk about how weak one of the leagues which has provided the Premier League with some of its best players ever is, again, ignorant. It doesn't have the money that the Premier league or La Liga generates, so the really good players eventually leave, but it's not a weak league. PSG simply makes it look so because they're an anomaly compared to the rest of the field; they're just an incredibly stacked team much like City is making the rest of the Premier League look like a joke right now. Also, Neymar would destroy any Premier League team, just like any team in the world. He's the second best player in the world at the moment, and it will show on any field, against any opposition.
 
I hope he comes up against Messi in the final of the Champions League. The master vs the apprentice. Good vs Evil. "Its over Neymar i have the high ground" as Messi collects his medal while Neymar is crying on the pitch. :drool:
The honourable gentleman who demanded his club spend 40% of their expenditure on him. A guaranteed €104,441,346 is a level of greed unsurpassed. This isn't just some oil rich club, this is the club who flew you over as a kid, provided you with a home (growth hormones), and then you cripple their wage bill (was 84% their budget), making signings more difficult. Its the sort of thing I'd expect from Ronaldo to Madrid but not a home grown player.

But alas, he is Luke Skywalker
 
Here's the thing, if PSG was in the Premier League, they'd give City a run for their money and could win the Premier League themselves; they'd definitely be above this current Manchester United side IMO. So all this talk about how weak one of the leagues which has provided the Premier League with some of its best players ever is, again, ignorant. It doesn't have the money that the Premier league or La Liga generates, so the really good players eventually leave, but it's not a weak league. PSG simply makes it look so because they're an anomaly compared to the rest of the field; they're just an incredibly stacked team much like City is making the rest of the Premier League look like a joke right now. Also, Neymar would destroy any Premier League team, just like any team in the world. He's the second best player in the world at the moment, and it will show on any field, against any opposition.

It is a weaker league than the Spanish, English, Italian and German, historically and currently. That is evident by coefficient rankings and the lack of success of French teams in Europe historically and currently. Neymar is still one of the best in the world and PSG are a team with great potential. To call the perception that the French league is inferior to other top leagues as being 'ignorant' is bizarre. There is no evidence that the French League is as good as the very top leagues in Europe.

https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/
 
The French League is pretty bad to be honest so i'm not surprised than Neymar is having fun there , let see how he does when playing in the Champions League and the World Cup .
 
The secret to Neymar's performances unveiled :lol:
 
The French League is pretty bad to be honest so i'm not surprised than Neymar is having fun there , let see how he does when playing in the Champions League and the World Cup .

He is tied for second leading scorer in the champions league.
 
It is a weaker league than the Spanish, English, Italian and German, historically and currently. That is evident by coefficient rankings and the lack of success of French teams in Europe historically and currently. Neymar is still one of the best in the world and PSG are a team with great potential. To call the perception that the French league is inferior to other top leagues as being 'ignorant' is bizarre. There is no evidence that the French League is as good as the very top leagues in Europe.

https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/

I have no issue with it being inferior to the Spanish, German, and English league, that's pretty obvious. I'm not sure Serie A currently is a stronger league, but perhaps it is. What I have an issue with is calling it a weak league as if anyone could come in and score 50 goals a season in France. The French league is not an easy league to score boatload of goals for anybody. Unless you're on a stacked team, which players like Neymar, Zlatan, and Cavani have been in with PSG, you're not going to have an easy time scoring a boatload of goals or look like the best player in the world. What I find ignorant is when people dismiss anything accomplished in the French league as if it would be so much harder to perform in the Premier league, which there's been countless examples of players coming from Ligue 1 and not just do as well but even better, sometimes right off the bat. That perception is absolutely ignorant, and perhaps also comes with a hint of bitterness that some of those great players are not playing for the almighty Premier League.
 
If PSG win the CL this year, anyone else think he could justify leaving for Madrid? Could add some validity to the Ronaldo swap rumors. It would only be one year but it would be mission accomplished for the club.
 
If PSG win the CL this year, anyone else think he could justify leaving for Madrid? Could add some validity to the Ronaldo swap rumors. It would only be one year but it would be mission accomplished for the club.

Think this could be said for a few PSG players, Verratti will probably want a new challenge once hes completed the PSG project which was about winning a CL. Unless Neymar manged to put some kind of clause in his contract I cant see Nasser letting him go. I wonder if the Qataris will have more of a diminished role in the club after that or if they'll go for total domination.

I'm not sure PSG would even want Ronaldo now, Neymar has surpassed him this season imo
 
Think this could be said for a few PSG players, Verratti will probably want a new challenge once hes completed the PSG project which was about winning a CL. Unless Neymar manged to put some kind of clause in his contract I cant see Nasser letting him go. I wonder if the Qataris will have more of a diminished role in the club after that or if they'll go for total domination.

I'm not sure PSG would even want Ronaldo now, Neymar has surpassed him this season imo

They will definitely want Ronaldo. I mean, they signed Beckham at 38. Marketing talks.
 
I agree with some of these points, but to say Neymar is a 'top5 player' in the world is unfair imo. He clearly has sedimented himself as the 3rd best, and dare I say 2nd best with Cristiano's form in last 6 months or so. He's delivering AND entertaining. It looks like he's choosing when he's gonna score and how. I know Ligue 1 is a bit weaker but I don't think Hazard, Griezman etc have the capacity of doing that.
 
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I have no issue with it being inferior to the Spanish, German, and English league, that's pretty obvious. I'm not sure Serie A currently is a stronger league, but perhaps it is. What I have an issue with is calling it a weak league as if anyone could come in and score 50 goals a season in France. The French league is not an easy league to score boatload of goals for anybody. Unless you're on a stacked team, which players like Neymar, Zlatan, and Cavani have been in with PSG, you're not going to have an easy time scoring a boatload of goals or look like the best player in the world. What I find ignorant is when people dismiss anything accomplished in the French league as if it would be so much harder to perform in the Premier league, which there's been countless examples of players coming from Ligue 1 and not just do as well but even better, sometimes right off the bat. That perception is absolutely ignorant, and perhaps also comes with a hint of bitterness that some of those great players are not playing for the almighty Premier League.

Which attacking players have switched to the PL and done much better in recent times, or have moved to the French league and done worse? Apart from young developing players (Martial?) I can’t think of any of the top of my head, yet Zlatan, Lacazette, Depay, Baloteli, Gomis all made the move in recent seasons and saw a pronounced change in fortunes regarding output in terms of goals.

Ligue Un is an easier league to score goals in. I'm interested to see your evidence to the contrary, actual evidence rather than tedious assertions about 'Premier League arrogance'.
 
Which attacking players have switched to the PL and done much better in recent times, or have moved to the French league and done worse? Apart from young developing players (Martial?) I can’t think of any of the top of my head, yet Zlatan, Lacazette, Depay, Baloteli, Gomis all made the move in recent seasons and saw a pronounced change in fortunes regarding output in terms of goals.

Ligue Un is an easier league to score goals in. I'm interested to see your evidence to the contrary, actual evidence rather than tedious assertions about 'Premier League arrogance'.

Neymar scores in France so he can't score a lot in the English Premier league as showed in the case of Zlatan who had a limited impact in England at the age of 35.

RedCafe Expertise ®
 
Neymar scores in France so he can't score a lot in the English Premier league as showed in the case of Zlatan who had a limited impact in England at the age of 35.

RedCafe Expertise ®

Firstly I never said that Neymar wouldn't score a lot in England, in fact I said that he would be the best player.

Zlatan is only 1 player I listed who's goal scoring fortunes changed dramatically when switching between the two leagues.

Please, bring a real counter to the table next time.
 
I hope he comes up against Messi in the final of the Champions League. The master vs the apprentice. Good vs Evil. "Its over Neymar i have the high ground" as Messi collects his medal while Neymar is crying on the pitch. :drool:

Then Messi cuts off his legs? :wenger:

To later find out Neymar is Messi's childs father?
 
Firstly I never said that Neymar wouldn't score a lot in England, in fact I said that he would be the best player.

Sorry then.

Firstly I never said that Neymar wouldn't score a lot in England, in fact I said that he would be the best player.

Zlatan is only 1 player I listed who's goal scoring fortunes changed dramatically when switching between the two leagues.

Please, bring a real counter to the table next time.

Only Zlatan and Lacazette had excellent stats in France (even if the latter scored a high # of penalties).

The level of a league isn't the only one key performance driver of a player. Age, Trust, Time, Competition within a squad... also matter.

Zlatan: age + injury + less dominating team (it matters given his lack of mobility) explain the gap. That said, decent stats IMO
Lacazette: tougher competition (Giroud & co) + 1st experience abroad + in Lyon he was the only one authorized player to score
Balotelli: pretty inconsistent here. He plays because the other attackers are poor: I mean you can't compare Liverpool and Nice in terms of quality squad.
Gomis: what do you expect from a player who joined England at the age of 30 and with 21 caps in an era where France was relatively poor at the international level? Also, he didn't play so much because Bony was a better striker.
Depay plays in another context: his first months were rather erratic and he's the kind of players who needs time and trust. This season, he scored 3 goals with the Netherlands: nothing to do with the poor quality of the French league.

Each player has his own story.
 
@Ecstatic

The stats are clear. So many players with changes in fortunes in term of goal scoring when switching between the two leagues cannot be denied. Where are the players from the French league that improve their stats significantly when joining the PL?