Neymar Reportedly Upsets Barcelona Team-Mates Ahead of 2015 Clasico

Madrid-based newspaper El Confidencial reports Neymar's Barcelona team-mates were unhappy with his reaction to being substituted against Eibar on Saturday.

However, Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC believes this story may be a tactical dig aimed to frustrate the Catalan club ahead of March 22's Clasico fixture. Barca hold a one-point advantage over Real Madrid prior to the Camp Nou encounter, and Corrigan suggests the report signals the onset of a media war ahead of the potential title-decider:

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Madrid-based El Confidencial kicked things off with a story claiming some members of the Barca dressing room were upset with Neymar after he showed frustration at being substituted early against Eibar. Unnamed teammates apparently did not like that the Brazilian, who had a four-day break in his home country last week, did not show more 'empathy' with his fellow players.

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Corrigan and AS indicated Neymar was frustrated after being sacrificed with 20 minutes remaining during Barca's 2-0 win:

El Confidencial's suggestion of squad-wide annoyance hasn't been replicated elsewhere in the press, but Corrigan believes the capital-based paper isn't the only daily release to try to influence things ahead of the Clasico.

Catalan papers Mundo Deportivo and Sport both ran stories claiming Cristiano Ronaldo was "angered" that Gareth Bale took advantage of his rebound and deflected another shot to claim two goals against Levante, per Corrigan. 

Mundo ran the headline "Tantrums d'Or," while Sport angled with "Madrid wins, Cristiano loses," as noted in Corrigan's report.

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Ed Malyon of the Mirror tweeted Ronaldo's reaction to the Welshman ending his nine-game goal drought:

Whether his frustration can be construed as anger remains to be seen, as it's likely the Portuguese forward was irritated with himself after missing the initial chances. Former Barca striker Gary Lineker was in no doubt toward Ronaldo's reaction, however:

Interestingly, papers from both regions have tried to pump their affiliated sides' chances ahead of the Clasico. Mundo noted Messi is "buzzing" after grabbing a brace against Eibar, as translated by Corrigan:

Marca also suggested Bale's return to goalscoring form will change Madrid's fortunes (one win in four matches). As noted by Corrigan, the headline is "To the Camp Nou with a different face," with Marca posting the corresponding front page on Twitter:

The winner of the Clasico will undoubtedly take a massive advantage into the final stretch of the season. The rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona runs deeper than football, with major political and cultural divides separating the two cities.

As such, the local press will continue to play a vital role in the buildup for both clubs.