Burden falls on Coutinho to keep Brazil going after Neymar injury

With Neymar hobbling and struggling, the burden to keep Brazil going at the World Cup is suddenly falling on Philippe Coutinho.

The Barcelona playmaker already delivered an outstanding goal in the opener against Switzerland as Neymar was stymied by tough defending and poor fitness. And with the team’s top star not expected to be at his best again for the game against Costa Rica on Friday, it will be up to Coutinho to step forward and try to lead the fivetime champions.

“We have a lot of great players in the national team and each one of them has his own responsibility,” Coutinho said. “If everyone does his job, then the team grows and plays well. We can have one player being the protagonist in one game, then another in the next one, but the most important thing is the group.”

On Tuesday, Neymar limped out of practice because of pain in his right ankle. The Brazilian soccer confederation said it wasn’t a serious injury and Neymar would be back in practice on Wednesday, but doubts about his fitness only increased.

Brazil coach Tite said before the tournament started that Neymar wouldn’t likely be fully fit until the third match of the group stage because of the foot injury that sidelined him for about three months earlier this year.

There were expectations he could still carry Brazil despite the ongoing recovery, but his performance in the 1-1 draw against the Swiss disappointed. He was heavily marked and had little space to create chances for his teammates, being fouled 10 times during the game in Rostov-on-Don. The Paris Saint Germain player was limping when he talked to reporters after the match.