Ahead of Portugal’s Round of 16 clash against Slovenia at the European Championship, the London Evening Standard has written that Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is under immense pressure to avoid wasting the talent of another generation of gifted players.
Portugal are considered one of the favorites to win the 2024 European Championship, but a shock defeat to Georgia has plunged the former Belgium manager into a media maelstrom. Martinez desperately needs to prove himself against Slovenia to quell the doubts about his managerial capabilities.
Just a few days ago, Martinez seemed invincible. His Portugal side had stormed into the European Championship with a perfect record of ten wins in ten games, securing their place in the Round of 16 with victories over Czech Republic and Turkey in the group stages. However, last week’s 0-2 loss to Georgia saw him fall from grace. Tonight’s clash against Slovenia is undoubtedly a crucial test for his managerial career.
Having coached the “Golden Generation” of Belgium for six years, Martinez is no stranger to the weight of national expectation. The question is, having failed to lead Belgium to a major tournament breakthrough, can he change his fortunes in Portugal?
“The team seems calm on the surface, but the defeat to Georgia has left fans worried,” said Nuno Travasos, a journalist for Portuguese newspaper A Bola. “The team’s performance on the field is far from the dominant displays we saw in qualifying.”
Martinez earned the trust of fans with his perfect qualifying campaign and fluid tactics, even if some matches saw the team unbalanced due to his frequent tactical adjustments. This trust remains unshaken.
He has been willing to experiment tactically, switching between a three-back and four-back system during the European Championship, even making changes during the game. Players have been asked to adapt to multiple positions, with Bernardo Silva comfortably switching between the number ten role and the wing, while Cancelo has played both full-back and midfield roles seamlessly.
The boldness of Martinez’s tactical changes is backed up by his luxurious squad. Even after making eight changes for the Georgia game, he still has quality players such as Palhinha, Felix, and Neto available.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the team’s talisman, is expected to start against Slovenia despite a frustrating group stage where he failed to score and showed his displeasure after being substituted. Other members of the squad, such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Diogo Jota, are also considered key players who could help Portugal reach greater heights.
Slovenia are not to be underestimated. They beat Portugal 2-0 in a friendly match in March and have shown resilience in their recent draw against England.
This article is from a user submission and does not represent the views of Soccer News Pick. If you repost it, please indicate the source: https://www.soccernewspick.com/uefa-european-championship/5680.html
