Brazil can cope without Neymar - Tite defends Selecao stars

Brazil drew a frustrating blank against Venezuela but head coach Tite would not cite Neymar's Copa America injury as a factor.

Published : Jun 19, 2019 15:31 IST

Neymar's absence from Brazil's Copa America campaign is not an excuse for the 0-0 group stage draw against Venezuela, says head coach Tite.

Host Brazil was booed by its own fans in Salvador after VAR reviews ruled out goals from Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho in a frustrating stalemate.

Tite's side remains ahead of Peru on goal difference in Group A and the sides will contest top spot when they meet on Saturday, with back-to-back draws meaning Venezuela remain in the quarterfinal hunt.

Neymar suffered ankle ligament damage in a pre-tournament friendly against Qatar to rule him out of the Copa.

WATCH | Neymar leaves field in tears after injury

Although Tite acknowledges the Paris Saint-Germain superstar's absence is significant, he believes there is enough talent elsewhere in his squad to compensate.

"Any team in the world would miss Neymar. He is top three [in the world]," he told a post-match news conference, having also seen a first-half effort from Roberto Firmino chalked off on Tuesday.

"But I want to talk about this team. They can recover. We have the conditions to be more consistent, adjusting our passes, [making] better choices and movements.

"We have those conditions independently of Neymar or any other player.

"I have concerns, yes. The players are not insensitive. But we must know how to work on the adversity."

Tite defended the hostile reaction to his team from the home faithful but experienced defender Thiago Silva felt the jeers were unfair.

READ | Brazil not weaker without Neymar, says Dani Alves

"In my opinion, no [it was not deserved]," he said. "Mainly because Venezuela created little. This was because of the good work defensively, with the good structure of our team. 

"Every second ball was ours. Sometimes we would rush to try to make the last quick pass and it would go wrong, but I think overall the team played well.  But when you do not score a goal it seems that everything is wrong."

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