Marquinhos responds to 'arrogant' Neymar jibe from Japan star

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The atmosphere for the World Cup round of 32 tie between Brazil and Japan heated up off the field after controversial statements from Kento Shiogai. Marquinhos, captain of the Brazilian national team, did not shy away from responding to comments from Shiogai questioning Neymar's current level and the Selecao's collective strength.

Neymar in the spotlight again

Neymar, the main target of Shiogai's criticism, continues to be a high profile figure of the national team, even under constant international scrutiny after his name was announced in the squad. Wolfsburg striker Shiogai stated that Neymar "wasn't the same anymore" and suggested that Brazil no longer commands the same respect as in the past. His words quickly resonated in the Brazilian team's training camp in Houston.

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Brazil given extra motivation

Marquinhos believes that the best response to any technical or physical questions is for Brazil to perform to their maximum. In an interview with Caze TV, Marquinhos revealed that the group is aware of the criticism and is using it as fuel for the knockout stage.

"It's good that they keep talking to keep motivating our team. We've been in the United States for a month, working with a lot of humility. We leave that talk to the opponents, let them keep talking a lot to motivate us," the defender stated.

Accusations of 'arrogance'

Although coach Carlo Ancelotti preferred to adopt a diplomatic stance, Marquinhos was more direct in analyzing the Blue Samurai's attitude. For the captain, there was an unnecessary lack of respect for the trajectory of the Brazilian national team, which is in pursuit of a record extending sixth global crown.

"It's a fact that football today is very balanced. It's about having intelligence, wisdom, maybe it was a bit of arrogance on their part. Brazil continues to be a great team. It's about showing our strength, quality... with every ball, knowing that it can be decisive... we leave that (talking) to them and let it serve as motivation to win the game," explained Marquinhos.

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A high-pressure showdown in Houston

The match at the NRG Stadium marks the first time these two nations have met in a knockout stage of the World Cup. Brazil come into the game having found their rhythm after a slow start, securing 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland following an initial draw with Morocco. But Brazil had a poor record in their last meeting last October. In a friendly match held in Tokyo, Brazil failed to maintain their first-half lead, allowing Japan to come back to claim a 3-2 victory. Ancelotti will be expecting a much-improved performance as the Selecao bid to reach the round of 16.