The Brazilian team continues to prepare to face Japan, next Monday (29), at 2pm (Brasília time), in the second phase of the World Cup.
After entering the second half of the match against Scotland, he is ready for the decisive duel with the Asian team. However, number 10 must start the game among the reserves.
Even though he trains without restrictions, there are some reasons that explain the absence of the star among the starters.
Fitting the offensive system
One of the reasons for Neymar to start the match against the reserves is the fit of Brazil’s offensive system.
In , the more “balanced” midfield, formed by Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães and Paquetá, offered more freedom for the attackers to shine.
With the attacking intensity of the midfielders, the trio formed by Vinicius Júnior, Matheus Cunha and Rayan managed to overcome the Scottish defense, guaranteeing the result with a good performance.
The sector occupied by Matheus Cunha would be where Neymar would theoretically fit, but an exchange at this moment is unthinkable. The number 9 is one of the team’s highlights in the World Cup with three goals scored.
Furthermore, Cunha contributes to marking the ball out and midfield, something that Neymar would not deliver to the team’s system.
Lack of rhythm
Another point that weighs against Neymar’s return to the starting lineup is the lack of rhythm in the game. The striker spent more than a month on the sidelines recovering from a calf injury.
The last time Brazil’s number 10 played an entire match took place on May 5, in Santos’ draw against Deportivo Recoleta-PAR in the Copa Sudamericana.
Next Monday (29), the Seleção faces Japan, an opponent known for its agility and physical durability, elements that could hinder Neymar’s performance.
Discreet performance against Scotland
Finally, Neymar’s discreet performance against Scotland may have “played against” the athlete.
In 14 minutes on the field, the attacker didn’t make any big moves in the offensive sector in a match that had already been resolved.
Brazil’s 3-0 victory over Scotland generated intense movement on social media. According to monitoring carried out by Vox Radarthe player that the committed fans chose as a disappointment for the Brazilian team was Neymar. Right behind is Casemiro, who focuses on “football” criticism (marking/pace), but in a small volume.
Furthermore, according to data presented by Sofia Sampaio, social media analyst, Vini Jr. was the most praised player post-game, while Neymar became the main target of public criticism.
Neymar appeared in second place in the ranking of mentions, with 83 thousand quotesbut with a much more divided scenario. 40% of publications about the possibility of the player being a starter in the next game had a neutral tone, while 28% defended his starting role.
In total, 71% of mentions showed no interest in seeing him as a starter. One of the terms most associated with Neymar’s name on the networks was “joelho de paçoca”, in addition to the expression “Brazil plays better without Neymar”.
However, the analyzes reflect the public’s behavior on social networks and do not constitute a technical assessment of the athlete’s performance. “People on the internet like to make memes, they like to make jokes”, pondered the analyst.
