Santos coach Cuca has said Neymar is not the only one to blame for his team's poor results this season.
Santos have won one and lost three of their last six games in all competitions.
Neymar hit the bar with a direct free-kick in Wednesday's goalless home draw with Coritiba in the Copa do Brasil.
"He's also experiencing the team's turbulence, he's feeling it too," Cuca said of Neymar after the game. "The results were terrible, but the matches weren't. In football, it's the results that count.
"But we can't place all the blame for the poor result on him. We need to divide the blame equally, with the coach bearing the greater share. Today, he wasn't as competitive as in other games. There are good things. Neymar, the day he plays like the others, will be criticized. That's normal given his potential."
Santos are 15th in Brazil's top flight with only three wins from their opening 12 league games.
Cuca revealed Neymar, whose hopes of playing for Brazil at the World Cup appear to be fading, will be rested in Saturday's league game at Bahia but will return for the trip to San Lorenzo in next week's Sudamericana group stages.
"Neymar has been performing well in terms of bursts of speed and distance covered at top speed," he said. "[Against Coritiba] He was a bit below par, I think because of the run of fixtures -- no one can keep that up, not to mention the emotional strain.
- Neymar plays down talk about a move to MLS
- Supreme Court upholds acquittal of Neymar, Barcelona in Santos fraud case
"Saturday's match is a different story. There's no time to rest. He won't be playing on Saturday. So he can be in better shape for the match in Argentina, which is a decisive game for us."
A knee injury has limited Neymar, 34, to just 10 appearances in 2026. He has four goals and three assists for Santos.
