Neymar gives Brazil injury scare

Neymar gives Brazil injury scare

Brazilians were biting their nails yesterday as star
forward Neymar went down with an ankle injury
during training, sparking doubts about his World Cup
fitness.
The Barcelona star rolled his ankle during the
Selecao‘s training session outside Rio de Janeiro
forcing him to receive treatment on the pitch.
However, after spending some time on the floor, the
Barcelona ace was able to pick himself up and walk
gingerly away.
Neymar was soon able to resume training and looks
set to be fit to take his place in the starting line-up
against Croatia on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Brazil have been paying extra attention
to their defence ahead of the opening game.
Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari spent part of the team’s
training session on Monday making adjustments to
his defensive setup, stopping practice several times
to reposition players until he was satisfied.
Although Brazil didn’t concede a goal in their two
warm-up matches, Scolari said he was not
completely satisfied with how his squad played
defensively.
One of the coach’s main goals in the last week of
preparations was to make sure the team ready
defensively in time for the opener.
‘We know that if we don’t concede goals, our
chances to win matches increase, because we know
the kind of talent we have in attack,’; said Scolari.
‘It’s important we are well prepared on defense so
we are not caught by surprise.’
Right back Daniel Alves acknowledged that Brazil’s
defence isn’t perfect, but said the team is working
to improve before the opener.
When told that Croatia striker Ivica Olic said he saw
spaces in Brazil’s defense during the warm-up
matches, Alves acknowledged that adjustments still
have to be made.
‘Obviously, if we didn’t make mistakes, we would be
a perfect team, and that’s not possible,’ the
Barcelona defender said. ‘If Olic saw spaces, then
we have to make sure we fix that so he can’t find
them anymore.’
The last time Brazil conceded a goal was in a 2-1
win over Chile in a friendly last November. Brazil
beat Panama 4-0 and Serbia 1-0 last week in the
last two matches before for the opening match in
Sao Paulo.
‘Physically we are ready, but tactically we still have
to adjust a few things,’ Scolari said.
The coach’s other main focus during Monday’s
training was on set pieces – another area where he
said Brazil still needs to improve.
Brazil are expected to practice again at its training
camp outside Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday before
traveling to Sao Paulo later in the day for the
opener.