Martino defends Neymar ahead of Atletico clash
Martino defends Neymar ahead of Atletico clash
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Pele has acknowledged that Neymar has a problem with diving but believes the 22-year-old has worked to eliminate the trait from his game since joining Barcelona last year.
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The football legend agreed with increasing criticism of Neymar's tendency to dive in an exclusive interview with ESPN FC on Wednesday.
"Yes, yes, he had this problem in Santos also," Pele said. "I think he tries to create fouls and situations that are not there. But now he got much better because in Europe, things are different."
Neymar came under fire for the issue again after Barcelona's 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, with Atleti boss Diego Simeone calling him out for going to the ground too easily.
"Diving is his characteristic, like Alexis Sanchez did when I coached him at River Plate," Simeone told Sky Sport. "This part of his game lets him down."
The three-time World Cup winner, who was in New York to promote his mobile app Pele: King of Football, explained that Neymar needed to move to Europe to evolve his game after dominating in Brazil with Santos, where Pele also was also a star years ago.
The forward has nine goals and nine assists so far in league play for Barcelona and Pele believes that he has benefitted from deciding to test his skills in La Liga last summer.
"The good thing with Neymar is that Barcelona moved to sign him six months ago. This experience is fantastic for him," Pele said. "In Europe, football is more tough, more difficult. For him to grow for the national team of Brazil is fantastic."
Though Pele expects an improvement from the still-developing Brazilian, he has urged fans of the Selecao to not get ahead of themselves in their expectations of Neymar ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
"What makes me worried a little bit is the pressure on him," Pele said. "Because the World Cup is a tournament, it's not just one game.
"Everyone expects Neymar is going to win the World Cup for Brazil. This is very dangerous for him."
Pele also addressed his relationship with longtime rival Diego Maradona.
The Argentinean legend reignited his feud with the Brazilian after FIFA awarded Pele an honorary Ballon D'Or in January. Maradona said that Pele will always remain second to him, comments that weren't taken too lightly.
"Always, he says something, but you know I've [always been respectful] to Maradona as a player. When he was in trouble, I try to bring him to Santos. Then after, he had all of those problems," Pele said.
"Unfortunately, now I can't help Maradona as man or a person outside of the field. It's the same as when he was on the field, today he has a lot of problems. That's my point, but I respect him. I think he was a great player, no doubt."
Soccer Hot News
Keller targets pressure-easing win
Schalke coach Jens Keller is eyeing a win over Werder Bremen on Saturday to ease the pressure on his side.
A five-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga has Schalke sitting third, six points clear of Bayer Leverkusen with a game in hand.
Victory at the Weserstadion would almost guarantee Keller’s team an automatic UEFA Champions League place.
Keller wants to see their run continue, with his side set to be boosted by the return of Kevin-Prince Boateng from suspension.
“We’re on a bit of a run,” he was quoted as saying by the Bundesliga website.
“We want to extend that in Bremen, then we can play without any pressure. It’s important that we carry on picking up points and if we succeed in that, then we’ll qualify for the Champions League again.”
The return of Boateng could be an opportunity for Keller to give teenager Max Meyer a rest, with the midfielder having featured in all bar one of Schalke’s seven matches in March.
Bremen welcome back Aaron Hunt, who has announced he will be leaving in the off-season, as they look to pull further clear of the relegation zone.
Coach Robin Dutt, whose team are six points ahead of 16th-placed Nuremberg, said the outgoing forward was still performing well.
“We’re really going to miss Aaron next year,” Dutt said
“But I get the feeling his departure is not affecting him in the slightest. He actually seems to be giving it one last push and I was very happy with the way he played in Hannover.”
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