Neymar feels singled out after being taken off for 15th time this season in Sevilla draw

Neymar was angry when he was taken off at the Sanchez Pizjuan in the 72nd minute with the score in Barcelona's favour. And the Brazilian, who dominates the media scene like few others, didn't react well to the decision. 

He did not understand why he was taken off and even on Sunday, after having time to reflect, he had still not digested it. 

The key point is that Barça's No.11 has still not worked out the reason why Luis Enrique substituted him. Neymar, like all the world's best players, does not like finishing a game on the bench, but especially on Saturday, because of how the game was going. 

He was fresh. He had been rested against Almeria, a decision which he took professionally, keeping in mind the games to come: Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain twice, Valencia and Espanyol. 

In Seville, Neymar was satisfied with how he played. He had broken his goal drought after five matches without scoring with a fantastic free kick. He was recovering the form he had shown earlier in the season and was causing a lot of problems. 

After half time, with Sevilla attacking more, Barça lost control. Neymar felt that his characteristics would come into play as Sevilla pushed for the equaliser, that he could catch them on the break. 

Luis Enrique, however, did not see it that way.

And here is where the surprise came. After a good performance from Neymar, he was withdrawn for Xavi, the Barça boss seeking more control on the pitch. 

People close to Neymar confirm that the Brazilian has a good relationship with Lucho. What's more, it was the Asturian who let him take some time to go to Sao Paulo in March to sort some things out. It meant he was able to attend his sister's birthday. 

Neymar does not have a huge ego. As he has proved throughout his career, never questioning where he has been put on the pitch, whether at Santos, Barcelona or with the Brazil national team. 

He has always been a regular, though, rarely being taken off for Santos or for Brazil since he exploded onto the scene as a teenager. He is now his country's captain. 

In this sense, Luis Enrique's rotations and changes are new to him. Tata Martino, in Neymar's first season at Camp Nou, would usually leave him on for the whole match.

Statistics demonstrate that Neymar is the most substituted of Barça's front three. Leo Messi, as is known, is the least. When the Argentine plays, he plays 90 minutes, regardless of his physical condition of performance levels. 

He has been taken off once this season: Against Ajax in the Champions League. 

Meanwhile, Neymar has been started 34 games this season and had been taken off on 15 occasions -- 44.1 percent of the games he begins he does not finish. Luis Suarez has started 30 times and been taken off 10 times (30 percent). 

Those numbers are what is making Neymar feel he is treated unfairly. However, Neymar is not the only player regularly taken off. 

Lucho has taken Iniesta off in 15 of the 27 matches he has started (55.6 percent) and Ivan Rakitic in 17 of his 31 starts (54.8 percent), which means both have been taken off a higher percentage of times than the Brazilian. 

Pedro and Xavi Hernandez, when handed starts, have also been regularly taken off. 

Luis Enrique is a manager with clear ideas. He bets on rotations and is not afraid to substitute his best players to keep the squad on their toes. With the most important part of the season now to play, he doesn't want his best players suffering from heavy legs. 

What happened at the Sanchez Pizjuan was not good for anybody, though. First of all, for the team, because Luis Enrique's changes did not achieve the required objective. And secondly because Neymar's anger has provoked an unnecessary debate ahead of a decisive match against Paris Saint-Germain. 

Neymar clearly showed how he felt, the question is whether what happened will change the way Luis Enrique thinks and acts.