Portugal coach: Ronaldo s absence will always be discussed, the important thing is to win when players are absent

In the European group stage of the World Cup preliminaries, Portugal defeated Armenia with a score of 9-1 and successfully advanced to the World Cup finals. After the game, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez expressed his views on related topics.

On how the team stayed hungry until the World Cup

The players' attitude and focus were outstanding. At half-time against Hungary (in October) we were already qualified. It's very difficult to manage the mental state of the team, especially the pressure of not losing. We were not decisive enough against Ireland and had some hesitations. Today we focused on performing better than Armenia and winning. We won 10 consecutive games leading up to Euro 2024, but the team at that time was not as well prepared as it is now. These challenges help us grow, national team time is precious, and our reactions and feelings add more possibilities to the team. It's not a matter of lack of hunger and goals, it's a matter of managing the mental state.

Summary of the team’s performance in the World Cup preliminaries

We have ensured qualification. We need to figure out why we didn't win against Hungary and Ireland, that's the most important thing. Against Hungary we lost control of the game in the last 20 minutes and allowed them to equalize. It wasn't a matter of attitude or tactics, it was a matter of urgency to get to the World Cup, and the same thing happened in Ireland. This was my first defeat in 43 World Cup qualifying matches, and I cannot explain it from a technical and physical perspective. What I can explain is that we want to win but don't know how, and that helps us prepare for the World Cup.

When we advance to the 2024 European Cup, the team is not yet resilient enough to win the championship. But in the Nations League, we hit back quickly after scoring goals in Germany and Spain and ended up winning the title, and we're at that stage now. We must prepare well for the World Cup. Our expectation is to go all out and embody the values ​​of the Portuguese people on the pitch. The national team has talent and we will try to win the World Cup. This has never been achieved, it’s not easy to do, and we have to work together. I would like to thank Hotel Porto for the support they gave us the day after the defeat to Ireland, it was a difficult time but the love helped us.

The criticism we received was unfair. Some facts were distorted and malicious opinions were not helpful to the national team. We should not have received such criticism after losing to Ireland. We ended up finishing first in the group and there was no need to count the points. For now, criticism can be put aside.

About Joao Neves' performance and Borges' debut

Joao Neves' free kick goal is interesting because after training yesterday, Bruno Fernandez asked him to take the free kick. This goal showed the good atmosphere in the locker room and the national team. I really like the attitude of Borges, he is a different player, very fast and can play on both sides, which is very important for our game. When Pedro Neto started to break into the national team, he played an important role. Now we have an equally important player, and it's not easy to find players like that. I love his resilience and it's a great example of how the national team develops talent.

Regarding the performance of other players in the absence of Ronaldo

When we talk about individual players, we are not just talking about Ronaldo. We have 25 players on the field, everyone has different characteristics and everyone can play an important role. Cristiano Ronaldo is always the center of public attention, when he scores goals people ask what we would do without him; and when he is not there and we win, people ask who needs Cristiano Ronaldo. On the one hand it's a topic of public discussion and on the other hand it's the competitiveness we have.

Leadership is important today. The appearance of Bruno, Ruben Dias and the role of Seat B are all crucial. We have multiple leaders, not a single leader. The team is in good form at the moment and we have scored nine goals, but there are still more chances to score. Nuno Mendes, the best left-back in the world, did not play, and Pedro Neto, who has started since the Nations League, also did not play this time. We have a lot of options and it's important to win without certain players.

Regarding Ruben Neves as central defender and the reason why Antonio Silva did not play

We let players try different positions. It's important that Ruben Neves comes on, he's an important player for us. Our players are very flexible in the tactical system. It is no longer one or two players fixed in one position. We hope to find new models. Dalot, Trincao and Palinha all didn't play, but they deserved their chances. As coaches and technical team, we try to find different tactical solutions during the game. We tried Joao Neves and B Fee as midfielders, with Neves in defence.

How to deal with the expectations of fans who are still asking for goals after the team has scored 9 goals

Fans asking for more goals is not a problem, I want to thank them for the magic they brought to the Dragon Stadium, it is an incredible force, this is the third time I have experienced here, and it helped a lot to win the game. It's not a problem, the team is growing and we are very flexible tactically, which is a process we have been working on since day one. We have to prepare well for the World Cup, this is my third World Cup, and we need to start preparations in March next year, not wait until a few days before the first game.