"If a coach aligns Neymar on one side, I will call him a donkey" - Tite promises Vinicius Jr. left-hand side role in Brazil team and defends PSG superstar's new role
The emergence of Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior means that Neymar now has a new rival on the left wing of the Brazilian national team.
Amid competition between the duo, Brazil manager Tite has clarified that he plans to move the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward to the center to accommodate Vini on the left.
It is uncertain how Neymar will cope in a central role, having spent most of his career playing from the left wing.
While some people believe that that could cause Brazil some problems, Tite insists the attacker's positional change will only allow him to make optimal use of his creativity.
🎙TITE:
"If a coach plays Neymar from the side (wing) of the team, I will call him a donkey. A player with these qualities, placed there, greatly restricts his creative capacity." https://t.co/YLD8E9vGMD
"He's not a problem, he's a solution," the tactician told the "Sexta Estrela" podcast (via RMC Sport). "Sometimes they say that there (in the center axis), he will make more mistakes. His position makes him make no more mistakes because when he does it creatively, he will be decisive.
"If a coach aligns Neymar on one side, I will call him a donkey. It considerably restricts the creative capacity of a player with these qualities. Creativity is not constant, it is eventuality, it is circumstantial. He will make more mistakes, yes, because his creative ability and the place he is in demands it."
Tite went further to reveal that he's already informed Vinicius Junior of his new role in the Brazilian national team during a recent training session. The Selecao head coach said:
🎙TITE:
"I have told Vinicius that he is the Neymar of 2014, because the Neymar of Barcelona and the national team at that time was on the wing, today Neymar is in the center." https://t.co/Tl9NOce3p7
"In training, I said to Vini: 'you are the Neymar of 2014', because the Neymar of Barcelona and the national team at the time was Neymar on the side, today he is in the center."
How Neymar and Vinicius Junior fared last season
Vinicius Junior enjoyed a highly successful outing with Real Madrid last season, recording 22 goals and 20 assists to his name in 52 appearances across all competitions.
He also won the Champions League and La Liga titles with the Spanish giants.
Neymar, on the other hand, endured an underwhelming outing per his own standards. The Brazilian could only bag 13 goals and eight assists for PSG across all fronts.
He also managed to claim the Ligue 1 title with the Parisians during the campaign.