Striker João Felix today ensured that Portugal “take Liechtenstein seriously” at the start of Euro 2024 qualifying and promised more aggressive football under Spaniard Roberto Martinez.
“I haven’t trained with the new coach yet, but he has already been explaining to us the dynamics of the game that he has. We have an idea of how we will play. We want to impose our game in every game. We are going to attack with more people, apply more pressure and control the game better,” said Joao Felix.
The Chelsea striker spoke to reporters at a press conference at the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras, minutes before the national team’s second training session, which will take on Liechtenstein at the José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon on Thursday as part of the group j debut .
We have a very big responsibility. We do what we love and we’re going to take this game seriously. We represent our country,” said the 23-year-old athlete.
In a group in which Portugal are clear favorites to top, Felix recalled the example of last year’s World Cup in Qatar, in which Portugal were surprised by Morocco in the quarter-finals (1-0).
“We have to be ready for no game to be easy. Everyone thought we were going to pass with Morocco, but we didn’t. We expect challenging games both at home and abroad,” he said.
Despite not having much contact with the new coach, the Viseu striker remembered the work Martinez did when he was in charge of Belgium.
“It put Belgium at the top of the FIFA rankings and that says it all,” recalls Felix, who made 28 appearances and scored four goals for the country.
The striker, who trained at Benfica, also spoke briefly about his move to Chelsea, the club he has been representing since January on loan from Atlético Madrid. “I enjoy change and adapt well,” he said.
The Portugal-Liechtenstein match, which marks the debut of new coach Roberto Martinez, is scheduled for 19:45 and will be officiated by Norway’s Espen Escas.
Three days later, Portugal play in the second round of the group in Luxembourg. The group also includes Iceland, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.