Neymar Proving Barcelona's Man for the Occasion with Champions League Double

It was almost too easy for Barcelona, as they strolled through to the last four of the UEFA Champions League, beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.

The scoreline, certainly the aggregate one, makes it look as though they had it easy; while that is partly true, the real story is in how the Catalan club showed their attacking quality while the Parisian outfit failed to do so entirely.

Brazilian forward Neymar came up with the two moments that counted in the first half-hour or so of the game, and from then there was no way back for PSG. Neymar has had ups and downs this season, but for Barcelona as for Brazil, he continues to show he is the man to count on when it matters most.

"

Neymar celebrating his goals tonight: pic.twitter.com/bZVFsI8MA6

— Neymar Stuff (@NeymarStuff) April 21, 2015"

Big Games, Big Performances

It's well documented that Neymar is Brazil's go-to man when the stakes are highest, and his goalscoring record—in tournaments and in general—shows he is more than able to carry that burden.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

At Barcelona this season, Neymar has gone through stages of looking like the real deal—early in the campaign, then again after the winter break up until the end of February or so—where he scores plenty, influences the game throughout and is clinical in the extreme. After those, however, have come periods of down time. It's not always noticeable from the outside because the goals at Barcelona continue to flow elsewhere, but he certainly didn't always hit those same heights.

Now, at the business end of the season, when the margins are fine and there is silverware on offer, Neymar looks ready to take centre stage once more. His two goals showed tremendous movement and anticipation, but also that same clinical edge that has now seen him double last season's tally in all competitions.

He's on fire at just the right time, as Barcelona chase trophies on three fronts.

"

Neymar has scored in all four matches — two games in the group stage and two in the quarter-finals — against PSG this season. #FCBLive

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 21, 2015"

Attacking Style

Key to Neymar getting those chances, and indeed to the victory itself being wrapped up by half-time, was Barcelona's relentless approach to closing down in midfield and making driving runs, on and off the ball, in from the channels.

Andres Iniesta's superb solo run—a perfect response to those who have written off his contributions this season—to set up the first goal was the most spectacular example of such, but there were also plenty of instances where the team closed down quickly, exchanged passes outside of the PSG box and attacked in numbers.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

That latter was something the away side never managed, especially in the first half, as they played it too cautious and Barcelona's inclination and capacity to create chances blew them away. Neymar, just as Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, was a big part of that with his movement around the defence, picking up spaces and moving possession quickly.

Goal No. 2 for Neymar came as a result of his movement between defenders, as well as from David Luiz losing track of him.

Consistency

For Neymar to be recognised as truly one of the greats in the modern game, he needs to find that consistency in his game. The likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo find match-winning contributions not just on the biggest stages—though they do that as well, of course—but almost every week, in one way or another.

Neymar went through a run against the likes of Granada and Eibar not long ago where he barely figured, didn't work hard and certainly wasn't one of the team's biggest threats. That relentless need to be the big figure that he displays in the yellow of Brazil must also be shown in the blue and red of Barca.

For now, though, his form remaining impressive in the biggest games of all—the last four of the Champions League, the Copa del Rey final and two key league games against Atletico Madrid and Espanyol—could see him end up with a hat-trick of trophies by the end of the season.

Follow @karlmatchett