It needed Carlo Ancelotti’s dry humour to put Neymar’s injury concerns into perspective. “If my grandfather had wheels, he would be a car,” he quipped at a media briefing a few days ago, when repeatedly asked about the ifs and buts of the calf problem that kept Neymar out of Brazil’s first two matches.
Yet there is little doubt that Neymar’s cameo against Scotland has raised more questions than answers.
For the best part of a decade and a half, the greatest figures in Brazilian football have championed Neymar’s cause. Even when the likes of Roberto Rivellino and Zico questioned his off-field activities and perceived lack of diligence compared to Lionel Messi or Ronaldo, they frequently insisted that he was the most naturally gifted footballer of his generation. Endorsement even came from Tostão, who played alongside Pelé in Brazil’s iconic 1970 World Cup-winning team.
Now, however, many of those same legends are questioning whether starting Neymar is the right call ahead of Brazil’s tricky Round-of-32 encounter against Japan.
Before Neymar was selected for the World Cup squad in March, Zico had argued that the forward needed a “10-match test” with Santos to prove both his fitness and his readiness for international football. That never happened.
Both Zico and Tostão are also of the opinion that Endrick should continue to be given opportunities in the bigger games. Zico, in particular, has highlighted Endrick’s directness and ability to take on defenders as qualities Brazil have often lacked in recent years.
The crowd in Miami, during the match against Scotland, left nobody in any doubt about where public sentiment lies. Neymar’s introduction was greeted with perhaps the loudest ovation of the tournament so far. But Ancelotti is unlikely to be swayed by emotion.
He would have noticed that Rayan’s relentless pressing forced the error that led to Brazil’s opening goal against Scotland. Would Neymar be capable of producing the same intensity? It seems unlikely.
With the other attacking positions effectively secured by Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha, it will be fascinating to see where Neymar fits into this Brazil side, if he fits at all.
When Ancelotti took charge after Brazil’s 4-1 defeat away to Argentina in World Cup qualifier, one of the first things he said was that Brazil had talented individuals but lacked balance as a team.
Although he has often preferred a 4-2-4 system in the past, asking Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães to patrol midfield as a pair would leave Brazil too vulnerable defensively. That is why Lucas Paquetá has returned to create a midfield three. When Brazil are out of possession, Cunha frequently drops deeper to provide an additional body in midfield.
It is this balance that has made Brazil a far more cohesive and dangerous side during the World Cup, and it is a balance Ancelotti is unlikely to disrupt, particularly against a Japanese side blessed with pace on the counter-attack and technical quality.
For Neymar’s legion of admirers around the world, impactful cameos from the bench may prove to be as good as it gets at this World Cup.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news
The post The Neymar Dilemma: Will Carlo Ancelotti Resist the Temptation to Start Brazil’s Superstar? appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
