Tite praises Neymar’s technical prowess over S. Korea
Brazilian Coach Tite celebrated the leadership of striker Neymar in the seleção’s 4–1 win over South Korea, a result that earned the Brazilians a spot in the quarterfinals of the World Cup Qatar. In the presser held Monday (Dec. 5) after the match, the coach also talked about the versatility of the players on his team.
“[Neymar] is the technical leader of the Brazilian team. Each one of us has an outstanding skill, and he’s the center enhancing the others,” Tite said of his number ten, who was returning from an injury that left him out of the victory over Switzerland and the loss to Cameroon.
In the interview, Tite also talked about a characteristic of the players in the match that has helped him deal with numerous injuries: versatility. “The choices [we made] focused on versatile players, who have two, three roles. [Right-back] Danilo played, and still plays, a lot on the left, or with three defenders, or as a full-back. We chose players with this versatility.”
This has been crucial in a World Cup where Brazil have already had to cross out striker Gabriel Jesus and full-back Alex Telles due to injuries, and in which they have already lost Neymar, Danilo, and Alex Sandro.
