Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are back together, and Barcelona are flying again
Barcelona got off to a slow start to the season, even losing to newly promoted Alaves at the Camp Nou. But there was a glaring hole in the Catalans' team -- no Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. One or two of them would play, but not all three together.
Well, now the three are back together and on the pitch. Unsurprisingly, Barcelona are now rolling.
MSN played their first match of the season together on Tuesday in the Champions League. The result? A Messi hat trick, two goals for Suarez and one for Neymar in the 7-0 romp over Celtic. Not a bad way to get the band back together.
On Saturday, the three got another crack at things against Leganes. This time, Messi only managed two goals, with Suarez and Neymar chipping in one each. So a combined four goals for the fearsome trident, and somehow that was a step down.
Barcelona still have some concerns -- like how they're going to handle the long season and whether they have the squad depth to take both the Champions League and La Liga*. After the way they struggled down the stretch last season, when they didn't rotate the squad much and tired, and their issues when they used some reserves earlier in the season, we'll have to see if they can really mount a strong run at both trophies. But Messi, Suarez and Neymar sure make it easier.
As long as Barcelona have MSN, they're going to be a threat in any match against any team. Check that: they're going to be favorites in almost every match against almost any team. Those three can make up for a lot. All Barcelona have to do is get them on the pitch together.
* Because just taking one of them and being competitive in the other isn't good enough at Barcelona, where trebles are a realistic goal.
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The MSN in its full glory. Messi to @LuisSuarez9 to @neymarjr It's 0-3 right before the half. #beINLaLiga https://t.co/G4B0TZCUlY
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) September 17, 2016
