Neymar still lacking rhythm: “We have to be very careful”
Pedro Caixinha reveals that the forward played longer than expected against Novorizontino, in his return to starting for Santos
Neymar started for the first time since returning to Santos in the draw with Novorizontino (0-0), in the eighth round of the Paulistão. The Brazilian international, who terminated his contract with Jorge Jesus’ Al Hilal to return home, was on the pitch for around 75 minutes of the game. After the match, Pedro Caixinha, Santos’ coach, confessed that the 33-year-old forward still lacks rhythm and played more than expected.
“We all want Neymar to have a sequence of games and rhythm, so the most important thing is that this sequence is very well planned. Today [Sunday] he was supposed to play 60 minutes. But, due to the rhythm of the game and his positioning, not feeling anything, he got another 15. He still doesn’t have the rhythm of the game, it’s been two years… He has a lot of desire. We expected a little more from the team in terms of aggressiveness. The team is on the right track, but the games go by and we don’t find the victory. Santos is a club with a culture of winning, and this culture leads to a demand that we have and we want to maintain until the end”, he analyzed, talking about the plan for Neymar for the next games. Santos faces Corinthians in the ninth round of the Paulistão.
“We are working on this directly with Neymar and his staff , who have joined us and have had great cooperation. A player with the quality and experience that he has, no one knows him better than he does. The commitment we have is that he cannot go to a limit that breaks. We have to be very careful. For the good of everyone. For the good of football,” he said.
“We will analyze and consider. Neymar , as a human being, feels. He wants to play and win. He is a competitor and a born winner. But it is an important moment for what will be his sequence and growth. We have to make this decision based on the data, in a clear way,” he added.
