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Like hungry children let loose at a buffet, Barcelona fans can often be guilty of overindulging. This is not altogether their fault, of course; the team is loaded with stars, and any struggles can often be assuaged by the promise of what tasty morsel might show up next.

Take Tuesday, for example. If Barcelona is unable to come back from its two-goal Champions League deficit against A.C. Milan, it would be disastrous, calamitous, catastrophic and all the other doom-and-gloom adjectives that come with being perhaps the world's most celebrated team. But then, after a mourning period of a few minutes, attention would quickly shift to what might be needed to put Barcelona over the top in next year's tournament — and specifically whether the Brazilian star Neymar is that needed piece.

Neymar is the prize. Despite his telling a number of news media outlets, including The New York Times, that he will probably remain with Santos in Brazil until 2014, speculation has increased recently that a move may be more imminent. Neymar's coach has suggested Neymar will eventually land at Barcelona. A Brazilian legend, Roberto Carlos, has said he has spoken to Neymar and such a move is "90 percent" certain to happen. And the Barcelona defender Dani Alves has been lobbying Neymar for months, telling FIFA.com that "I've been begging him to come to Barcelona for a long time, ever since the rumors of a move to Europe started."

The possibilities are tantalizing. Imagine how Barcelona might play if it had Lionel Messi and Xavi and David Villa and Neymar. Surely a team like that could not be beaten. Could it? SAM BORDEN

The End of a Long Road

Where did Barcelona lose its edge? Perhaps it would help to retrace the club's steps. In 2009, it was on top of the world. Under its first-year manager, Pep Guardiola, Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao to win the Copa del Rey, held off Real Madrid to win La Liga and topped Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome.

Those triumphs led to berths in the UEFA and Spanish Super Cups and in FIFA's annual Club World Cup, played in the United Arab Emirates that year. Barcelona swept those competitions as well. After repeating as Spanish league champion in 2010, Barcelona sent 14 of its players to the World Cup in South Africa, where the eight Spaniards on the club's books picked up winner's medals.

On and on it has gone, sometimes more than 60 games a season. A third straight Liga title in 2011. Another win over United in the Champions League final, in London, which meant a return to the Club World Cup, this time in Japan.

A semifinal exit from the Champions League last spring was a disappointment, but a Copa del Rey triumph — Barcelona's 14th trophy in four years under Guardiola — ensured that at least there would be some new silverware to polish. There was little time for reflection, however. Seven of Barcelona's Spaniards quickly packed their bags for Poland and Ukraine, where they helped their country repeat as European champion. More celebrations.

But this year, there will probably be only one trophy. Two recent losses to Real Madrid have hinted at a power shift in Spain, even if Barcelona looks certain to reclaim its Liga title. And now it may be headed out of the Champions League much earlier than expected.

Where did Barcelona lose the path? Abu Dhabi? Yokohama? Moscow? Glasgow? You choose. The players are probably too tired to look. But rest assured they will find it again. ANDREW DAS

A Team Reliant on Messi

Last Thursday, a Tokyo jeweler put up for sale a 55-pound pure-gold replica of Lionel Messi's left foot — veins, callused skin and all — and attached to it a price tag of $5.25 million.

The object seemed artless, the metaphor so straightforward as to be uninteresting.

But its opulence made a point.

Two days later in Barcelona, Messi scored his 40th league goal of the season, lengthening a run of mesmerizing individual play that has produced a wave of staggering statistics. Consider that Barcelona, as a team, has scored a total of 85 league goals this season and the second-highest individual yield belongs to David Villa, who has seven.

Yet Messi's individual feats can also symbolize what few shortcomings his team can be thought to possess. Now, as before, there has emerged murmuring about whether Barcelona, the paragon of team play, has become over-reliant on one man.

This was apparent three weeks ago. A.C. Milan applied the shackles to Messi, restricting his space, humanizing him and earning a gigantic 2-0 win at home. Barcelona held possession of the ball for two-thirds of the game, yet directed only two shots toward goal.

Barcelona needs goals on Tuesday night, when the teams will meet for the second leg of the series. And it seems obvious that Messi, who has produced 16 of the team's 41 goals (counting the league and all cup competitions) since the start of the calendar year, will be the center of attention for both teams.

All eyes will be trained on Messi's left foot. What sort of alchemy can it conjure?

ANDREW KEH

Stumbling, Not Slumping

Crisis? What crisis?

As amazing as Barcelona's run has been over the past 10 years or so, it is nearly as amazing how quickly the doubters, skeptics and haters (read Real Madrid fans) spring from the woodwork at the slightest sign of a misstep.

There is no arguing that Barcelona has stumbled, losing the first leg of its Round of 16 Champions League series against A.C. Milan then back-to-back matches against Madrid (in Copa del Rey and in La Liga). But take a glance at the Spanish league standings. After last weekend's games the "slumping" team at the top maintains a 13-point lead over Real Madrid, which might be the hottest team in the world.

With Barcelona, we are not talking about some Sunday beer-league team. Memories can be short, and there is no doubt that stars like Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Gerard Piqué will be hellbent on stifling their critics by erasing the two-goal deficit against A.C. Milan on Tuesday at Camp Nou.

Talent and skill will trump all, even an expertly organized Italian team that will probably try to thwart Barcelona with smothering tactics. One of soccer's old saws is that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous. It is, and it will be. JACK BELL