Defender Pepe said this Friday that Portugal wants to learn from their mistakes and that the game against Slovenia in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 will be difficult, but he expressed his desire to win the trophy again.
“When we go into a game we have three results and everything is possible. We lost when we had to lose, now it’s about not making the same mistakes in the next game, to always improve,” he said at a news conference in Marienfeld, Germany.
The centre-back, who at 41 is the oldest player ever to play in the final stages of a European Championship, faces a tough game against Slovenia on Monday at a stage where there is no room for error.
“The game with Slovenia will be very difficult. We need to avoid making mistakes again for Portugal to win. I believe that the 11 players in the starting lineup, plus the five who can enter, will do everything possible to ensure that Portugal can reach the quarter-finals,” he stressed.
The centre-back, who did not want to talk about his future after the European Championship, also expressed his desire to win the competition again, as happened in 2016 in France: “If I could choose, I would like to be champion again. With all due respect to the other teams “, both on one side of the table and on the other, we know that this will be a very difficult path, that it will be difficult, but we all have to be together.”
Pepe also responded to the doubts that exist regarding the formation used by coach Roberto Martinez, with three central defenders or a four-man defence, saying that the process must be believed in.
“I think there are a lot of doubts about the three central players. When we attack a very closed team, it is important to have flexibility. It is difficult to attack teams that have 11 men behind the ball. We must believe in the process, work hard and find the gaps,” he stressed.
The defender, who represents Porto, also admitted that he had spoken to Antonio Silva, the young centre-back at Benfica who was unhappy with the game against Georgia, explaining that the group “is a family that needs to be looked after”.
Pepe also said that the Portuguese team feels the support of the fans even in the moment of defeat and is confident that they will continue to work as part of the Quinas.
“I’m sure they will be with us. We knew the journey would not be easy and now we need to play 90 or 120 minutes and do more for the country,” he said, noting that Portugal has some of the best players. statistical data on competitions.
Finally, the central defender also spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo: “Cristiano lives for goals, that’s a fact, but Ronaldo’s ability to help the national team is incredible. He’s a player. [de campo] with a lot of minutes. He is doing well and he will continue to do well, I am sure he will bring us a lot of joy.”
Before the press conference, Pepe left words for the family of Manuel Fernandes, who died on Thursday at the age of 73, especially his son Thiago Fernandes.
The game between Portugal and Slovenia in the 1/8 finals of Euro 2024 is scheduled for Monday in Frankfurt at 21:00 local time (20:00 Lisbon).
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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