Neymar and Luis Enrique React to Barcelona Victory over Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique called star forward Neymar “breathtaking and electric” after Saturday's sensational four-goal performance in the 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano, while the player himself refused to go into too many details on how he prepares to take penalties. 

The Brazilian―deservedly―won two penalties and converted both against Rayo, taking over spot-kick duties in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi. On top of that, he scored two more goals to move into first place in the La Liga top scorers' rankings.

But speaking to Canal Plus (h/t Sky Sports), he's unwilling to give away his penalty secrets, saying: “I'm very happy with the victory and with how we played, because Rayo are a great team and we struggled against them. I can't explain how I do what I do because it would be giving clues away, but it is all down to lots of practice.”

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Enrique showered him with praise during the post-match press conference, saying: "Neymar is electric, and at the moment, defenders only have two choices when facing him: commit a penalty or let him score. In one word, he was breathtaking."

Looking at the statistics, “breathtaking” may have been the right word, via Squawka Football:

Barcelona desperately need someone to step up in the wake of Messi's injury, losing two of their last three La Liga matches before Saturday's clash. Efficiency in front of goal had been a major history, and with the defence not looking as solid as it did last year, goals were needed in order to keep up in the race for the La Liga crown.

The Neymar we saw against Rayo Vallecano was the carefree technician we love and know. He wandered around the pitch, produced one piece of outrageous skill after the other and gave the Rayo defence fits all match long. Footballer-turned-pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft was so impressed, he perhaps took it one step too far:

Neymar was brilliant, but despite the one-sided scoreline, the Catalans as a group were not. Rayo took the lead through Javi Guerra and dominated possession, a rarity given Barcelona's ball-heavy playing style.

The way the match unfolded will be overlooked due to the final score and Neymar's performance, but Enrique acknowledged Barcelona can and should do better, praising Rayo manager Paco Jamez in the process:

"

We were lacking in confidence in certain moments because we couldn't control the ball. We had clear chances and Rayo made for an end-to-end match. We consider possession to be a means of getting a result, and not an end in itself.

[…] I have a lot of respect for Paco because we were team-mates. He was a great defender and he is making his side better and better. I'm a big fan of his and I would like to see him at a big club.

"

The win sees Barcelona jump into a three-way tie for the lead in the La Liga standings, with Celta Vigo and Real Madrid also on 18 points. Next week, the Galicians will host Los Blancos, giving the Blaugrana a superb chance to grab the top spot outright, providing they can get past Eibar.

Before that, they'll face a tricky trip to Belarus where they'll play BATE Borisov, who currently sit just one point behind the Catalans in the Champions League Group E standings.

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