Neymar seeing red gives PSG boss the blues

Naughty boy Neymar misses out tonight. (AFP)

LONDON: Neymar has been warned to curb his temper or expect to spend more time in the stands after he was sent off last weekend.
The Brazilian saw red during Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-2 draw at bitter rivals Marseilles on Sunday. The $262 million man was already on a yellow card when Lucas Ocampos fouled him, Neymar reacted by getting up and pushing the Argentinian leaving the referee with no choice but to send him off.
And the PSG boss has told his star man to rise above the extra attention he gets in France.
“He is going through the process of adapting to the league, the team, the referees, but he is intelligent. He is also aware that he must learn from what happened on Sunday,” Unai Emery said ahead of today’s Ligue 1 clash against Nice.
Neymar will be automatically suspended for tonight’s match at the Parc des Princes.
“He was sought out more aggressively by the opposition, and it is important that referees know how to handle matches where these situations occur on the field,” Emery added.
“I spoke to him about it before the match and we said not to get involved in any provocation. But on the pitch, with the intensity and the aggression, the players are people, and we need everyone to maintain our balance and do the job well.”
The Nice game will be just the second that Neymar has missed since making his Paris debut in August — he previously sat out a 0-0 draw at Montpellier last month.
Angel Di Maria could benefit from Neymar’s absence to make just a second start since August.
“When he doesn’t play, he is not happy. He wants to play and start every match, but when he doesn’t it is because of the competition and the performances of others,” said Emery of the ex-Real Madrid man, who pointedly did not celebrate after coming off the bench to score in the recent 4-0 win at Anderlecht.
A win against Nice will allow PSG to go seven points clear at the top from reigning champions Monaco before they visit Bordeaux on Saturday.
Nice are the only French team to have beaten PSG in 2017, recording a 3-1 triumph in April.