Saturday, August 17, 2013

Martino: We will not put pressure on Neymar



The new Blaugrana coach insists he will be "logical" with the Brazilian's deployment and has called on Alexis Sanchez to rediscover his best form

Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino has warned against putting too much pressure on €57 million signing Neymar at the start of the season.

Neymar's partnership with resident talisman Lionel Messi has hogged the headlines since the Brazilian's arrival from Santos, but Martino has stressed the need to be "logical" when deploying the 21-year-old in the Barca line-up.

"It's difficult to imagine someone as good as Neymar not being able to bring something to

Barcelona," the 50-year-old said to reporters.

"He has connected well with Messi and the others, he looks comfortable. The only thing we need to do is be logical about when we put him in the team.
"We want to put him into the team little by little, without pressuring him. We're going to be careful about Neymar, but he's a great player and will give a lot to the team."

Martino has also urged Alexis Sanchez to rediscover the impressive form he displayed for his national team under Marcelo Bielsa after the Chilean impressed during pre-season

"I want to see the Alexis that played under Bielsa with Chile. I have a lot of expectations for him," Martino continued.

"He's an important player who changes games, we have to give him confidence about scoring goals. He'll be an important player for us."
The Catalans are tipped to defend their Primera Division crown against the challenge of rivals Real Madrid, but Martino is wary of challenges from other sides in Spain's top flight.

"I think we need to be more respectful to other teams, like Atletico Madrid," he warned.

"My main concern now is that we play well tomorrow and win [against Levante]. It's important for our confidence and to send a message to the rest of the league.

"It's vital we win and play in the same way that Barcelona have done recently." 

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