Neymar’s presence at the World Cup has become a ‘State Affair’ in Brazil.“I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. And I say that with the greatest respect in the world.Obviously it’s my last World Cup. I don’t know if it’s my last year in the national team,” said the Santos star after being left out of the squad by technical decision.
”The pressure is normal. I can’t be objective because ‘Ney’ is one of my idols, but now the decision rests with the coach. But as players, we always want to play alongside the best,” Vinicius told ‘Globo Esporte’.“It’s normal that in football everyone has an opinion, there is no university”, said Carlo Ancelottitrying to defend himself from criticism after again dispensing with the former Barcelona and PSGplayer for the friendlies against France and Croatia.
I can’t be objective because ‘Ney’ is one of my idols, but now the decision rests with the coach
“Why didn’t I call Neymar in this squad? Because he’s not 100 per cent now. I need players at 100 per cent. But as I said before, he can be on the final list, so Neymar has to keep working, playing, and show his qualities and his good physical condition,”he insisted.
Neymar may be on the final list, but he has to keep working, playing and showing his qualities and good physical condition
A ‘pathway’ that ‘Ney’ wants to make the most of. In fact, as Lucas Musetti reveals in ‘UOL’, he has designed a specific plan to recover his best form, convince Ancelotti and ‘sneak’ into the World Cup: the ‘three-match rule’.
At 34 years of age, Neymar’s main objective is to avoid relapses and new muscle injuries. Hence, he has ‘self-banned’, according to ‘UOL’, from playing three matches a week and will prioritise the matches that Santos play at home in Vila Belmiro to avoid travel and ensure better rest
“This ‘load management’ has already been defined with Santos’ medical department and coach Cuca [he did not play against Cruzeiro]. However, participation in matches will be decided on a week-to-week basis,” says Musetti, who outlines the Brazilian star’s initial idea: to play at home against Remo (May 2) and away against Flamengo (May 5) and avoid the trip to the altitude to face Deportivo Cuenca (May 8) in the Copa Sudamericana.
This ‘load management’ has already been defined with Santos’ medical department and coach Cuca. However, participation in matches will be decided on a week-to-week basis
In Neymar’s plan there is another clause. The former Barcelona player, according to ‘UOL’, will prioritise playing full matches as a starter, as he understands that this is the best way to exhaust his options to be at the World Cup.
“Neymar doesn’t like the idea [of being on the bench]. He prefers to be available only if he is going to play until the end,” they insist from Brazil, alluding to the fact that he believes it is “dangerous” to enter the game without being prepared. In the World Cup, in any case, it would be different: “He would play as many minutes as Carlo Ancelotti wanted, even if it was at the end of the game,” defends Musetti.
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