Brazil have enlisted the help of Regina Brandao, a sport psychologist, to help the team deal with expectations prior to Tuesday’s semi-final match against Germany.
Brandao, who holds a graduate degree in Sport Psychology at the Institute of Physical Culture in Havana, a Master in Human Development from the Federal University of Santa Maria, and a PhD in Sports Science from Unicamp in Sao Paulo, has previously worked with the Portuguese national football team during the 2004 European Championship and 2006 World Cup and with current Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for various teams.
Initially, it was believed that Brandao was brought in to help the team deal the loss of Neymar, who will miss the remainder of the World Cup due to a fractured vertebra however, team captain Thiago Silva claims that this is not entirely the case.
“With Brandao we didn’t just speak about Neymar,” Silva stated as reported by independent.co.uk.
“We spoke about all the things related to football so that we are at ease on the pitch. If we are not at ease things won’t happen the way we want them to do. Neymar was something we all spoke about a lot so we could feel at ease. We all said what was on our minds.”
With both Thiago Silva and Neymar set to miss the crucial match against Germany, it is not only Brandao who is speaking to the team to put minds at ease as Scolari has also stepped up to try and deliver positive messages to his squad.
“At the first opportunity to put people at ease, I made the players understand Neymar had done his share.” Big Phil said about his injured forward.
“Now it is us who must do our share, myself, the staff and all the Brazilian players.
“We play for ourselves and our country, and for everything we have ever dreamed of. And also for Neymar and for everything he has done for us. It’s something we have been able to overcome.”
