Davids: Neymar criticism is unfair
The former Netherlands midfielder sympathises with the Brazilian star and believes the stick he has received is unjust.
Edgar Davids has stressed that Barcelona forward Neymar is the recipient of unfair criticism, reminding us all that he is 'only human'.
Neymar has come under much scrutiny in the past few weeks, with Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League to Atletico, as well as losing ground at the top of the La Liga table to the two big Madrid clubs.
Before netting in both last week's 8-0 humiliation of Deportiva La Coruna and Saturday's 6-0 thrashing of Sporting Gijon, the Brazilian had failed to score in six games.
Davids, who also spent some time at Barcelona, understands that expectations for players such as Neymar are always extremely high, but stresses that they are only human after all.
“I think it’s always unfair, but, if you are Neymar or Messi or Suarez, people expect every week back-to-back goals or brilliant performances," said Davids at the launch of the International Champions Cup in Dublin.
"Let’s be honest, but let’s also be honest that they’re human. He did fantastic last season, and it’s only human to have a little bit of a niggle but it’s still there for him to finish the season on top.
“If you play for Barcelona or Ajax or for any top team or top side they want to see the top players excel every week. So that criticism will always be there."
With the La Liga title race incredibly tight, with Barcelona and Atletico on 82 points and Real Madrid on 81, Davids remains confident that the Catalan club will be victorious.
"It’s tight but still Barcelona are Barcelona and they will always have an opportunity to win," said the 43-year-old. "If you look at the game they have amazing players and a couple of them can decide the game with one action.
"They’re a bit sloppy lately but I’m confident that they will be able to defend it."