Neymar has been more prolific in terms of goals, assists, crosses and dribbles during Messi's layoff, and has been more involved all round. This period was billed as a test of the Brazilian's leadership credentials and it is one he has passed with flying colours.
The former Santos man's strike rate has rocketed up from 0.6 in the five games he played alongside 'La Pula' earlier in the season to 1.11 in the nine since. He is having around five attempts per match, compared to 2.6 before, is completing five more passes, and has set up six goals for his teammates in Messi's absence - compared to none when the four-time Ballon d'Or winner was around. The fact that he has almost doubled the number of dribbles he is producing (from 3.6 to 6.22) illustrates how much Neymar is expressing himself out on the pitch.
It is a similar story for Su?rez, even if the Uruguayan has still tended to shy away from the build-up play since Messi was laid low. He has averaged 19 completed passes per encounter in the nine matches without Messi, five more than he was chalking up alongside Messi, while his assists stats have remained more or less steady. On the other hand, the ex-Liverpool sharpshooter's strike rate has risen from 0.4 goals a game to 1.11, his shot count has gone from 2.4 to 4.11 and he is dribbling 1.55 times per fixture compared to once every five matches (0.2) before. The dogged 28-year-old has also been winning back possession three times more often.
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