Santos boss praises Neymar’s mental strength after a tough week | OneFootball

The coach of Santos, Juan Pablo Vojvoda, spoke about Neymar's preparation for the derby against Palmeiras, this Saturday at Vila Belmiro, for the Brazilian Championship. The Argentine highlighted the athlete's mental strength after a “difficult week.”

“I’ll just say that if each of the players had a tough week, so did he. I want to highlight his mental strength to face this week. He’s not just another player. He was heavily criticized, but he is strong and prepared a lot to be in good shape for today’s game. I watched him daily, he kept improving. I felt he would be ready. He knows we’ll demand more from him and he’s prepared for that. I like that he gets ready this way,” said the coach.

Turbulent week

Indeed, Neymar’s week was quite turbulent. The number 10 for Santos became the target of criticism for his behavior during Peixe’s defeat to Flamengo last Sunday. The player lashed out at teammates, complained about the refereeing at Maracanã, and got upset when he was substituted in the second half.

After the match, fans hung a banner in front of CT Rei Pelé reading: “Neymar, let’s just play football.” Days later, another banner was placed at the entrance of the training center, but this time in a supportive tone: “Neymar, we are with you.”

It’s worth noting that the fans supported the squad during the last training session before the derby against Palmeiras. The star was one of the players who received the most affection.

Santos’ position in the standings

With the victory over Palmeiras, Santos jumps to 16th place in the Brazilian league table, with 36 points, pushing Vitória into the relegation zone. Leão, who opens the Z4, has one point less than Peixe.

Next Santos match

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.