The Brazilian star has cooled off after getting a little too heated in his last outing, according to his supervisor.
Thomas Tuchel is counting on Neymar before a”decisive phase” of this season, believing he’s mellowed since criticising Paris Saint-Germain’s use of him before the defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
Neymar had struck out at the club for not playing with him in any of their past four games before the visit to Germany, aiming to limit the possibility of injury.
The Brazilian insisted such a decision had nothing to do with him, pointing the finger at the club and their physicians, as he claimed that he had felt well enough to perform with.
Having served a suspension during PSG’s 4-0 thrashing of Dijon on Saturday, Neymar is back in contention to face Lyon at the Coupe de France semi-final on Wednesday.
And Tuchel says he’s mellowed since venting his frustration with the club, while the trainer is relying on the forwards ahead of a potentially crucial part of the year, with PSG place to confront Dortmund in the next leg of the Champions League last-16 tie next week having lost 2-1 at Signal Iduna Park.
“He [Neymar] is calmer today,” Tuchel told reports on Tuesday. “In Bordeaux he had a fantastic match, sadly with a red card. It wasn’t good, but it had been like this.
“I’ve a feeling he is calmer. He is getting ready for tomorrow’s game, he is going to play, it is needed.
“The most important thing is that he plays, he is with us in this critical phase. I am pleased to perform with him in Lyon.
“I have the feeling that he’s really prepared, that he’s calmer, more confident, and that he’s found his rhythm.”
Following PSG’s reduction to Dortmund last month, Tuchel made a point of singling out Neymar’s performance as he pushed the Brazilian to return to his best.
“We’ve made twice as many games as Dortmund in recent weeks. We’ve had injury issues with key players, they lack the rhythm, the hardness of the contest, as we saw Neymar,” Tuchel said, through L’Equipe.
“Ney lacked rhythm, contest. Our ownership of the ball wasn’t stable enough for this to not be a physical game. There was this physical side for this game, furthermore, we made a lot of errors in unnecessary positions.
“We were lacking in time. We lost a little confidence, and form. I thought it’d be a more open game.”
