Neymar: Messi's best friend and Barcelona's most improved player

Neymar: Messi's best friend and Barcelona's most improved player

More adapted to Barça's style of play and the physical demands of European football; less media spotlight and perfectly in tune with Lionel Messi; Neymar is offering a stellar version of himself in his second season at Camp Nou

His goals and all-round effectiveness confirm everything that was expected from him when he arrived in 2013. A forward with talent and one who can smell goals, he is capable of sharing the responsibility with Messi. 

In Elche, Neymar scored twice and won the penalty which was converted by Messi. But on top of that, his actions on the left constantly caused problems for the home side's back four, as has been the case with his performances throughout the season. 

The Brazilian is able to find space where there is none, with diagonal runs and close control, and it often leads to shots or assists for the likes of Messi or Luis Suarez.

For the Barça's sixth goal on Saturday, he showed how much he has improved physically, beating his marker and providing an assist for Pedro.

He has provided five assists in total this season now (four in la Liga) and has contributed 19 goals (14 in the the league). In addition, nearly half of his shots (33/70) have been on target and one in four of them have resulted in a goal. 

This has allowed him to take third place in the race for the Pichichi, behind Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The best news for Luis Enrique is that he is gradually finding the balance that will help Barça with the challenges they face in all three competitions between now and May. 

'Ney', who stayed in the team after the first leg against Atletico Madrid, demonstrated against Elche that he is plugged for the return leg at the Vicente Calderon.