Brazil coach used Neymar to take the pressure off Vinicius

Brazil coach Dorival Junior on Friday backed Vinicius Junior and took the pressure off the Real Madrid striker for not having been decisive in the ‘Canarinha’ shirt. Dorival Junior stressed that, in any squad, ‘responsibilities are divided’ and "no player" has the obligation to carry the weight of the team.
"We have peace of mind to wait for the moment when everything blossoms," said the Brazil coach concerning Vini during the press conference in which he announced the squad list for the upcoming matches. The coach mentioned the case of Neymar in recent years, stressing that "it is not a healthy way" to generate "excessive expectations" about the performance of a young player.
Vinicius Junior, a top Ballon d'Or candidate, has only managed to score five goals in 34 appearances for Brazil. The Brazilian national team is currently in 5th place in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after four defeats against Uruguay (2-0), Colombia (2-1), Argentina (0-1) and Paraguay (1-0), although only the last one under Dorival Júnior.
The current coach took over from Fernando Diniz in January this year and has four wins, five draws and one defeat in his ten matches with Brazil. The Canarinha's next two opponents are the bottom two in the qualifiers. Brazil, with 10 points and 18 points behind leaders Argentina, are five points ahead of Chile and seven ahead of Peru.