Neymar Can Expect Physical Treatment at Barcelona After Red Card vs. Colombia

"Everyone here is against Brazil," roared Dani Alves afterward, the tension of a feisty clash still palpable in the Chilean capital, Santiago. 

Colombia had defeated the Selecao 1-0 at the Estadio Monumental. It had been rough. Physical. Controversial. Ninety minutes had seen 39 fouls, four yellow cards, two reds, a ball kicked at a player, an apparent head-butt, a forceful shove and a melee. At the centre of most of it: Neymar.

The Barcelona star had been the focus of Colombia's defensive efforts. He'd been hacked down, crashed into and had his hand stepped on. Jose Pekerman's side had set out to unsettle Brazil's focal point and succeeded, Neymar enduring a difficult night in which he was emotional and tense, drew a contentious yellow for a handball and reacted angrily to defeat at the final whistle, kicking a ball at Pablo Armero before pushing his head at Jeison Murillo. Red. 

Willian later said Neymar needed more protection from the referees—"he is always getting hit. It happened again today, and he was the one ejected," he said in protest, per AFP (h/t ESPN FC). Alves said Colombia "went in search of him" and "tried to provoke him." Brazil coach Dunga said, "Brazil has to play football. Brazil can't go to war." But Brazil and Neymar had—"[we] got caught in their provocations and forgot to play," added Dunga. 

It was all eerily familiar. Twelve months earlier, former Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari had said, "we knew he would be hunted." That night, Brazil had walked away with a victory over Colombia in the World Cup, but Neymar had been carried away, a vertebra broken after heavy contact from Juan Camilo Zuniga. His absence proved fatal; Brazil never recovered. Might this be similar? 

Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press

Wednesday's red card could prove damaging to Brazil's Copa America campaign, with Neymar set to miss his nation's next clash with Venezuela and—assuming Brazil progress—possibly a quarter-final, too. But his outburst at the final whistle also has implications beyond the immediacy of this tournament. 

Others, particularly opposing coaches, will have closely observed the forward's discernible anxiety in Santiago. Targeted and hunted, the Brazilian showcased a sense of discomfort. Vulnerability. Weakness. Though he's an extraordinary talent, there's an edginess to Neymar that Colombia preyed on, knowing Neymar often treads the line and doesn't always tread it well. It also needs to be remembered that teams rarely look to provoke an opponent if they don't believe they'll draw a response from the player. And from Neymar, Colombia were always likely to get one. 

Both in Spain and around Europe, Barcelona's rivals will have taken note. 

When he returns to club football in 2015-16, Neymar can expect the physical treatment to continue as opponents look for chinks in the armour of the continent's finest outfit. Alongside him, Lionel Messi has often been subjected to similar methods, but it's the petulant streak that's always just below the surface in Neymar that marks him out as a more susceptible target. 

Opponents will poke away at that. 

Jorge Saenz/Associated Press

Riling the precocious 23-year-old, however, is considerably easier when he's in national colours. Surrounding Neymar in Dunga's lineup are Roberto Firmino, Willian, Fred, Fernandinho and Elias among others. For such a powerful footballing nation, the current Brazil side is short on world-class talent, Neymar standing alone as his country's pre-eminent star. 

As such, nearly everything Brazil do is funnelled through the Barcelona forward. He's the focal point of a formation. A system. A game plan. Essentially, stop Neymar and you'll probably stop Brazil—the narrowness of the task giving opponents a license to hunt him. 

But at the Camp Nou, he flanks Messi and Luis Suarez. Feeding him are Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Co. Surrounded by such prodigious talent, Neymar is protected—both physically and tactically. Targeting him in a Barcelona shirt is more problematic. Unless—and this is the crucial part—he continues to react. 

Naturally, the approach of individual referees will have a large bearing on how successfully opponents target Neymar. Those officials who enforce their presence in the opening minutes will benefit the Brazilian; those who allow the game to unfold without consistent interruptions might hinder him. He's a player who tends to start a match already warm and heats up steadily from there. 

On Wednesday in Santiago, Colombia got him to boil over. Inevitably, more opponents will follow suit; poking him, prodding him and testing his patience. His resolve. 

An example now set, a marker put down, Neymar will need to brace himself for more of the same treatment.