Special envoy to Lisbon
"I'm not going to explain to Neymar how to score a goal," smiled Thomas Tuchel, Tuesday, after a new festival of failures in front of the Brazilian's cages. Against Leipzig (3-0), however, it was closer than against Atalanta (2-1): the former Barcelona touched the amounts twice. Balance sheet? Ten shots in two matches in Lisbon, two on target, zero goals. “With his quality, his confidence, his talent, he will regain precision, I'm sure of it. I probably have nothing to do ", continued the German coach, stressing" the mentality, the hunger to win and to show that he is capable of being one of the best in the world and of pushing this team with Kylian (Mbappé ). And if he scores in the final, I'll be happy. ”
Not a scorer but already decisive in Lisbon
He wouldn't be the only one. Good news ? Said Neymar is never as good as under pressure, and even more so in the final. It was he who scored the winning goal against the Greens, in the final of the Coupe de France (1-0), the only Parisian goal in the two summer matches in Saint-Denis (0-0 ap, 6 -5 tab against Lyon in the Coupe de la Ligue). Not surprising. Moreover, he only lacks the goals in Lisbon. Otherwise, we feel it stronger than ever in the game. And he is also credited with two assists, one per game, in this "Final 8" in Portugal.
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Whether with Santos (2009-13), Barcelona (2013-17) or PSG (2017-…), the Brazilian international has in any case regularly been decisive in the final. "I have the impression that he has always had a lot of pressure," Tuchel noted before the "Final 8". Neither you nor I can imagine it ... He's a guy who likes it. He likes big matches, decisive matches, he's super reliable in those matches. He has the quality and the mentality for this kind of situation. ” The proof is in the numbers. Neymar Jr has indeed scored nine goals and delivered four assists, directly involved on 13 goals, therefore, during his 17 club final matches, including the super cups. And it's even more impressive if we look only at the 2014-20 period, from his second Barcelona season until now. Six goals and four assists in nine matches in the final!
A goal in the Champions League final
We note for example that the 28-year-old Brazilian international had actively participated in the coronation of FC Barcelona in the Champions League, in 2015, against Juventus. It was in Berlin. A goal to bury the last hopes of Turin, at the end of added time, while Lionel Messi and company were already leading 2-1 thanks to Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez. It is Alvaro Morata who has equalized time for the Old Lady.
With Brazil? He scored in the final of the 2016 Olympics against Germany (1-1 ap, 5-4 tab) and in that of the Confederations Cup 2013, with the great Seleçao, against Spain (3-0). Nothing in the final of the 2012 Olympics, lost by the Brazilians against Mexico (1-2).
70 goals and 41 assists in 84 matches with PSG
Remember that Neymar has more generally panicked the counters since his arrival in the French capital, for 222 M €, in 2017. 70 goals and 41 assists in 84 matches! There is hardly one other phenomenon like Kylian Mbappé to present comparable figures (90 goals, 51 assists, 123 matches). The Bavarian rearguard will obviously have to watch them like milk on a fire ...
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"We get along very well on and off the field," Mbappé told us last Tuesday after the Parisian victory over Leipzig (3-0). It's important for the team, but it's also very pleasant to play with a player like him, one of the best in the world. He may not have scored. But we passed, that's the most important. It benefited Angel Di Maria, who had a great game. " The Argentina international had indeed finished with a goal and two assists against the Red Bulls. As if to remind the Bavarians that PSG is not just Neymar / Mbappé ...
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