Brazil manager Tite said Thursday he refuses to rein in the genius of his star man Neymar and denied he took him aside to implore him to play more for the "collective."

Slapping down suggestions he was forced to speak to Neymar one-on-one, Tite said he wants the Paris Saint-Germain striker to realize his full "genius" in the attacking third of the pitch.

"All of the players have the responsibility to play for the collective while also being individuals, with some specific characteristics," Tite said.

"I am not going to take away Neymar's initiative."

(Neymar (L) and Willian (R) in action with Tite during training on June 19)[Getty/Kyodo]

After being held to a 1-1 draw in their first World Cup match against Switzerland, when Philippe Coutinho's fine strike was canceled out by a Steven Zuber header, Tite said his team needs to be more ruthless in St. Petersburg on Friday against a Costa Rica team who lost their first game to Serbia.

"The last third of the pitch, you have to go there, you have to create the possibilities for the finish, I am not going to take that away from anybody," he said.

Concerns were still fresh that the former Santos and Barcelona player might be struggling with an ankle injury picked up against Switzerland.

The Swiss relentlessly targeted Neymar in the teams' first Group E match, with OPTA tallying 10 infractions, the most since England's Alan Shearer was fouled 11 times by Tunisia at the 1998 tournament.

But Tite said the only issue is Neymar's return to full fitness from the foot injury that cut short his season with PSG.

"He took a blow there (to his ankle) but we are still in the initial project (to get him fit from his previous foot injury)," Tite said.

"There is a science and a lot of tranquility...It is about five matches that you need to be fully fit and he has already sped up (the process). There is this evolution taking place, don't worry."

With Neymar healthy, the former Corinthians boss was able to confirm he would be fielding an unchanged lineup, indicating that he believes there is little reason to panic, despite the almost do-or-die nature of the match at St. Petersburg Stadium.

(Tite pictured at Thursday's press conference) [Getty/Kyodo]

Tite stressed that the Selecao had plenty of opportunities against a strong Switzerland, it was just his team's ability to capitalize that let them down, he said, emphasizing the need for continuity.

"The lineup is a coherent thing, it is a sequence. Knowing the need for improvement, it has to be sped up. There may be stages, yes, it is a short tournament, yes, but there has to be some coherence."

Later on Thursday, Costa Rica manager Oscar Ramirez revealed he will also resist making major changes, swapping just one player from the 11 that lost 1-0 to Serbia.

Inserting Bryan Oviedo into the defense in place of Francisco Calvo, Ramirez said he knows the size of the challenge ahead, but that he wants to surprise Brazil so his team can have the opportunity to advance.

Asked whether he might employ similar negative tactics to counter the Neymar threat, Ramirez said his team has a plan, but it will not mirror that of the Swiss.

"Neymar is a very skilled player and it is true that we have seen how people have tried to stop him a little aggressively. We have our own strategy and we will see what happens," he said.

"Maybe we will cover him with two men, we will see. But we don't want to see any offenses against him."

The teams have met twice at the World Cup with Costa Rica losing on both occasions, something their captain is well aware of.

"Third time is a charm, so that's the motivation tomorrow," said Bryan Ruiz, Costa Rica's star midfielder, who plays for Sporting in Lisbon. "We are going to play against Brazil with a great team. This is an extraordinary opportunity for us."

"We have prepared very well, physically, tactically, so we will have to use that as well as our psychological strength."