Neymar out, Arda Turan has another chance for Barcelona
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Fresh off scoring a hat trick, Turkey midfielder Arda Turan is hoping for another chance to prove he can play alongside Barcelona's best.
With Neymar suspended for Saturday's Spanish league match at Osasuna, Turan is likely to take his spot next to Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the defending champion's vaunted attack.
Turan filled in superbly for Neymar on Tuesday when he scored his first hat trick for Barcelona to lead the team to a 4-0 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League.
The treble took Turan's scoring total for the season to eight goals, making him Barcelona's third-leading scorer behind Messi (20) and Suarez (12).
Even though nobody doubts Neymar is the more talented of the two, the Brazil striker has managed only six goals despite playing 400 minutes more than Turan this season.
Neymar's suspensions from both the 'Gladbach and Osasuna matches were for accumulation of bookings in both competitions.
"Arda is scoring lots of goals. When he plays on the wing he has many skills he can draw on," Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. "He can also play in midfield. I am happy for him."
Turan, however, has proven to be a tough piece for Luis Enrique to fit into Barcelona's talent-laden puzzle.
As his coach said, Turan has impressed on the left side of the attack. But that spot has Neymar's name stamped on it, and Turan has struggled when asked to play further back.
While Turan flourishes when given space and the freedom to break down defenses, he looks uncomfortable in Barcelona's demanding precision passing approach.
His unease with the defensive tasks that playing in midfield entails was clear in last weekend's match against Real Madrid when Turan went on as a late substitute to help protect a one-goal lead.
Instead, Turan's foul on Marcelo conceded a dangerous free kick that Luka Modric didn't waste, placing a cross for Sergio Ramos to head in a 90th-minute equalizer and snatch a 1-1 draw that kept Madrid six points clear at the top of the Spanish table.
Turan took a lot of heat for that foul in the Barcelona sports media, meaning his three goals against 'Gladbach couldn't have come at a better time.
"We haven't played well recently and haven't gotten good results," Turan said. "We tried to get the best possible result and play at our best (against 'Gladbach)."
Now 29, Turan developed into one of the league's top attacking midfielders through four seasons with Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, helping the once second-rate team become one of Europe's best with league, Copa del Rey and Europa League titles.
But when Barcelona called in 2015, Turan changed clubs despite knowing that he couldn't play until 2016 because of Barcelona's FIFA-imposed one-year ban on new players for breaking its transfer rules regarding underage players.
The former Galatasaray standout also joined Barcelona well aware that competition for playing time, never mind a regular starting role, would be fierce with the likes of Messi, Suarez and, above all, Neymar.
After failing to find a spot following his debut midway through last campaign, Turan made a promising start to this season when Neymar was away playing for Brazil.
He scored twice in a Spanish Super Cup victory over Sevilla and notched Barcelona's first league goal of the season. But once Neymar was back from helping Brazil win the Olympic gold medal, Turan was back on the bench.
The reserve role clearly didn't suit him. Only one of his goals this season has come as a substitute, when he sparked a 2-1 comeback at 'Gladbach in September.
Unlike this week's second win over 'Gladbach, which came with Barcelona already qualified for the Champions League's knockout rounds, Barcelona visits Pamplona on Saturday needing to break a run of three straight league draws.
Promoted Osasuna appears to be the optimum rival to end that skid. It is in last place and hasn't won in seven home matches since its return to the first division.