Thomas Tuchel 'Not Afraid' to Drop Neymar, Calm over Brazilian's PSG Future

Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel has said he doesn't think the club are at risk of losing Neymar, adding he's "not afraid" to drop the player after he was benched for Tuesday's 2-2 draw at Real Madrid. 

Neymar, 27, made his first Champions League appearance of the campaign when he came off the bench at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, where PSG came from two goals down to draw in the Spanish capital.

The South American was far from his best despite playing a part in the comeback. Tuchel spoke to reporters after the game and suggested Neymar's starting place isn't cemented:

"No, I'm not afraid (of the ramifications). I don't think we are going to lose Neymar. 

"We have a connection. We are honest. I talked to him and told him that I would rather he play in the second half and start on the bench. We did the same thing with Kylian (Mbappe) away to Galatasaray.

"He's been absent for six weeks, he only played one game before this one and for me it was not worth taking that risk. Every month he missed a few days. I made the decision for him, for his health."

Late goals from Kylian Mbappe and Pablo Sarabia meant PSG earned the point they needed to secure first place in UEFA Champions League Group A with one match to spare, via BT Sport (UK only):

Neymar returned to PSG's starting lineup for Friday's 2-0 league win over Lille having missed the previous four Ligue 1 fixtures.

There has to be some allowance for the player to regain his stride after missing the past six weeks, but the reviews of his performance after coming on at half-time on Tuesday weren't positive:

Neymar was successful in five of his eight dribbling attempts against Real, per WhoScored.com, while he was dispossessed twice during his 45-minute appearance. Mbappe—who played the whole 90 minutes and pulled back his side's first goal—was the only PSG player to lose possession more (four times).

The Brazil star also ended his display with a pass completion of 77 per cent—team-mate Mauro Icardi (50 per cent) and Real winger Rodrygo Goes (75 per cent) were the only players to be less accurate.

Tuchel was asked before Tuesday's game whom he preferred out of Mbappe—already a FIFA World Cup winner and a growing icon in France—and the more controversial Neymar, via DW Sports:

It's sensible to suggest those in control at PSG will have certain expectations for Neymar considering they forked out a world-record €222 million to sign him from Barcelona in 2017.

His absence will be more significant if the coach continues to omit his most expensive asset from the lineup even following a more settled post-injury run in the squad.

Neymar has a lot to make up for after already missing 12 games this season, and he can make an impression when the runaway Ligue 1 leaders travel to AS Monaco on Sunday.