Neymar surprised even his manager as he made a goalscoring return to action for Brazil ahead of the World Cup.
The Paris Saint-Germain attacker had been on the sidelines for three months with a foot injury, and Brazil manager, Tite, had the game against Croatia at Anfield pencilled in for his return.
The No 10 joined proceedings at half time, replacing Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho.
"He came back better than I expected. I expected much less, because it is a process," said Tite.
“I would have been happier with a quieter game, what he did was really extraordinary. He has to go through stages. He is going to have ups and downs but by the third, fourth or fifth game he will be back to his level."
The half-time substitution was an effective tactical move as well as one which saw the star man return to action.
Croatia had been pressing high up the pitch which had caused Brazil problems when trying to build their attacks from the back. Striker Andrej Kramaric had a couple of opportunities on the back of this pressure, but Brazil hung on.
Neymar’s introduction saw Philippe Coutinho drop into midfield, and the second half goal came from some good quick passing from the former Liverpool man and Chelsea winger Willian.
“Neymar is clearly an extraordinary individual talent, but the goal he scored was created by the team and he’s aware of how they help him,” added Tite, who repeatedly emphasised the idea that Neymar is just a part of the team, and the responsibility should be shared.
The 26-year-old forward appeared to have the weight of the world and an expectant home nation on his shoulders in the 2014 World Cup, and they eventually fell apart against Germany in his absence. Though even if he was present for the Mineirazo, he might not have been able to prevent it happening.
A repeat of that failure is not an option under Tite, and if the Brazil manager is half as assertive with his players as he is with the media, then they’ll know exactly what is required of them.
"Neymar is a player that is different but he can't be given all the responsibility to decide the game, that's not humane, he is a key part but not everything," said Tite.
“In terms of scoring goals that responsibility doesn’t fall solely on his shoulders, he is one element of the team.”
“The start of this game was difficult and Croatia played a high press with good marking, so it was difficult for us to get ball out from back.
“This is the risk you take against teams playing high press, but in the second half we imposed our rhythm, we created opportunities and scored a goal.
“Neymar was fully involved in this process but the praise should not only be on his shoulders, and neither should all the responsibility. He is a part of this collective, team, and this group.”
Neymar is now just one goal behind Romário’s 55 in Brazil’s all-time top scorers list, and as he chases third place behind Ronaldo and Pelé, but again his manager was keen to keep his feet on the ground.
Tite’s advice was: “Keep working hard, keep working for the team, and keep the team at the forefront of your mind.”
The message from his manager couldn’t be clearer, and this mentality will go a long way to helping Neymar help Brazil as best he can as they look to lift their sixth World Cup.
