Paris Saint Germain's Brazilian ace Neymar has taken aim at the managerial team at the club for forcing him to sit out the last four games as PSG crashed to UEFA Champions League defeat in Dortmund.
Neymar scored PSG's only goal of the game as the French champions lost 2-1 to an Erling Haaland-inspired Dortmund in Germany on Tuesday night, and the Brazilian criticized the club's coaching and medical staff for not allowing him to play in a match before throwing him into Champions League action.
Neymar had been rested for two weeks after picking up a rib injury, and told reporters after the game that he felt the club's overly cautious approach to his injury left him lacking the sharpness needed to perform at 100% in such an important game.
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"Unfortunately it was not my choice, it came from the club, the doctors, they're the ones who made the decision, one that I did not like.
"We've had a lot of discussions on that. I wanted to play, I was feeling well but the club were afraid, and in the end I'm the one suffering."
Coach Thomas Tuchel admitted Neymar's performance "lacked rhythm and competitive action," but he opted not to introduce Edinson Cavani or Mauro Icardi to the action, despite having both available from the bench.
PSG's lackluster performance will not have eased the views of the club's sporting director, Brazilian World Cup winner Leonardo, who criticized the "negativity" around the club, and said that with "two of the four best players in the world," (Neymar and Kylian Mbappe), the club should not fear anyone in the competition.
But both stars were put in the shade by a brilliant display from Haaland, whose brace will send Dortmund to the second leg in Paris on March 11 with a crucial advantage.
Coach Tuchel admitted his team "played with too much fear" in Germany, but defender Presnal Kimpembe said the responsibility for the defeat fell squarely on the shoulders of the players.
"The defeat has nothing to do with tactics," he said.
"We are the ones on the pitch."
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