Neymar defended by Santos after leaving the bench: ‘Giving his all’

Among the players, forward Guilherme was the spokesperson, who was also substituted in the second half. He was on the bench when the team showed signs of life, reduced the difference, but could not avoid defeat. ‘And regarding Ney’s exit, he is upset. So we also try. And the less controversy we create, we are not in a time to … On the contrary, we just need to come together and Ney is just there to help, like everyone else. Everyone wants to do their best. I repeat, it didn’t happen today, right? Again. I also want to highlight the team’s attitude in the end. They were also spirited. Those on the field fought as well, managed to score two goals. So that’s it. It’s unity at this moment. Only then will we get out of this situation,’ said Guilherme. When substituted, Neymar even questioned: ‘You taking me out, man?’ He left Maracanã so quickly that he preceded the Santos players, did not take the delegation bus, and left the stadium in a van. At the press conference, coach Vojvoda pointed out that the team captain ‘did not lack respect’. ‘Of course he was upset, like any other player gets upset, but I decide who has to leave. It is completely normal if he was upset. And, furthermore: it has to be like this, many times, always with respect,’ said the Argentine. The impact on the team Besides behavioral, the discussion about Neymar at Santos is physical and tactical. Against Flamengo, it was his first game as a starter since recovering from his most recent injury — previously, he had come on in the second half against Fortaleza. Alexandre Mattos revealed that the number 10 made a sacrifice to return quickly. Thus, his absence against Palmeiras had nothing to do with the synthetic pitch. ‘Neymar is at Santos because he wants to be at Santos. During the Fortaleza game — it was said in front of me by his staff and the Santos health team — that he couldn’t play. He said he wanted to play, he said he had to play, and that’s how it was. So that’s why he didn’t play on Thursday (against Palmeiras). Then come the malice, come the fake news. ‘Oh, Neymar won’t play because of the field.’ No, Neymar didn’t play because he shouldn’t have played against Fortaleza, but he wanted to play against Fortaleza and needed to go through that process, which was to play, yes, against Flamengo like he did today,’ he added. In the discussion of his role on the field, he was the most advanced player in the team, with little responsibility to press the opposing defenders in marking. This made things easier for Flamengo. With the ball, he looked for the game, found important passes, but complained that he didn’t receive balls in a position to finish. On the other hand, it was without him that Santos found a late breath, scored two goals, and in a way, found hope to face Palmeiras on Saturday. ‘He can and will help us, whether as a false nine, as a midfielder too, and perhaps even on the sides. So, Neymar on the field, he will help us a lot. That’s the truth. Well, today we had some opportunities there with balls in depth, which is what we were thinking. But let’s insist. I don’t know how we will face Palmeiras in the next game, but we need to insist together because I’m sure that united, we will be able to get out of this,’ Guilherme concluded.