Manager Roberto Martínez returned today to talk about Portugal’s controversial challenge to the UEFA Euro 2024 double qualifying round, explaining that the selection was based on a “very professional process” following an observation of 82 players.
The pre-press conference ahead of the match against Slovakia on Friday was dominated by the choice of the Spanish coach, namely João Cancelo and João Felix, two players who have had very few minutes this season.
“I’m following 82 players, working with 23. I think it’s important to know that we have a very professional, fair selection process and the coach has a lot of work to do. Internship in September based on my international experience. , this is not an internship to see the shape moment, but rather to see what they are [jogadores] we can offer our vision of the game, dedication, talent and passion for the national team. Calls cannot please everyone,” he explained.
Faced with insistent demands from journalists who were present in the conference room of the National Stadium in Bratislava for the stage of the game of the fifth day of group J, Martinez made it clear that the group was “very concentrated to be able to have a good time.” performance”.
“September will see a lot of change on an individual level, career, [os jogadores vão para] different teams, different minutes, but I saw a very determined group with a passion for doing well tomorrow [sexta-feira]”, he asserted.
In the modern National Stadium in the capital of Slovakia, rebuilt from the ground up in 2019 and with a capacity of 22,500 spectators, Team Kinas, the leader of the pool, with 12 points, will face the second-placed team, with 10, and who deserves a lot of praise from coach Portugal.
“I think Slovakia is a team that works very well. Mr. Francesco Calzona has a clear structure, a very clear idea of the game, they have shown that this is a very difficult team to create chances, they have only one goal conceded and very good intensity off the ball. A team that is growing and has all the conditions to qualify for the European Championship,” he said.
Stripped of an injured Ruben Neves to play in Bratislava, Joao Paligna should be selected for the position, although Martinez has not confirmed, preferring to speak of a “very tough moment” that the Fulham defensive midfielder had on the last day of the match. summer market.
“João Paligna has had a very hard time because he flew away [para Munique para reforçar o Bayern] and there was a mental change of command. On a personal level, it would be positive because he would have gone to another level and is a player in the best teams in the world,” he lamented.
Portugal will face Slovakia in Bratislava on Friday in a match managed by Swede Glenn Nyberg before hosting Luxembourg in the Algarve three days later on Monday.
After four rounds, the team leads Group J with 12 points, adding only wins, ahead of second-place Slovakia with 10 and Luxembourg, third, with seven. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland each have three points, while Liechtenstein remains at zero.
The first two places in the group give direct access to the final phase of the European Championship, which will be held next year in Germany.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.