Tuchel: Neymar will pushed hard

Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel has vowed he will not let Neymar get off lightly following "weeks and weeks" of campaigning for a transfer to Barcelona.

PSG fans were left unimpressed when the club's star forward attempted to engineer a move back to his former employer during the close season. The Brazilian was booed on his return to action at Parc des Princes in September and only started to mend the rift with a run of four goals in five games leading into the international break. But winning back favour with fans does not mean the world's most expensive player will be allowed to do as he pleases in what could be his final season in Paris.

"The supporters have expressed their opinions and I can understand them, absolutely," Tuchel told The Guardian. "It's their right to express themselves. They're proud of their club and it's not so nice when you hear your player talking for weeks and weeks saying he wants to leave.

 

September 22, 2019

"As I told Neymar, sometimes it's like this in life – you have to face the truth and deal with the consequences."

German coach Tuchel said: "Sometimes it's a bit hard to see that he is a nice person when you only watch him play from outside. But he is, he's a nice guy. "I told him: 'You think the hardest part is over, but from now on you have to deal with me and I'm going to push you hard. So the hardest thing is still to come for you.'"

Neymar faces up to a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury sustained while on Brazil duty, so he is set for a short spell out of the spotlight. The 27-year-old forward's goals have helped edge PSG two points clear after nine games of their bid for a seventh Ligue 1 title in eight seasons. Asked how he defines success at a club now accustomed to winning domestic titles, Tuchel placed emphasis on forging bonds and the "little rewards" of day-to-day improvement.

"Hopefully I don't depend too much on the points and the titles because the possibility that you get sad or that you don't fulfil your own goals is too high," he said. "There's more to life than points and trophies but we're all very competitive and we all want to win every game."