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Roberto Martinez expressed pleasure about the victory of Portugal over the Scots in the match of the UEFA Nations League, and combined Cristiano Ronaldo with scoring the winning free-kick in his 901’st match for the national teams.
While everyone is concerned about the physical condition of Ronaldo, Martínez is confident that Ronaldo is not only a backup but a strong player.
He explained that having Ronaldo selected on the pitch there is a task that has to be achieved and an understanding of utilizing Ronaldo both in the field experience and intelligence which has helped Portugal.
Martínez also understood Scotland’s greed and urged the players not to rely on themselves, for Portugal is now at the top of their group.
The Context of the Claims
For some time now, there are whispers that Portugal is overly relying on Cristiano Ronaldo as evidenced by his performance in Euro 2024 and UEFA Nations League.
Even his scoring ability was commented on, he failed to score goals during an important event such as the Euro tournament, where he attempted to shoot despite the fact he did not score.
This became even more apparent whenever the Portugal team emerged victorious, like in the recent 2—1 over the Scots when Ronaldo clinched the winning goal which saw some people below that Portugal is unable to triumph without the forward.
However, manager Roberto Martinez: Ronaldo is very important but the team cannot depend only on him.
Ronaldo’s Impact on Portuguese Football
Cristiano Ronaldo is, undoubtedly one of the most famous footballers in Portugal, heaped with 134 goals in 213 matches for Portugal.
He has represented his country in such tournaments as the Euro 2016 in France and the 2018-2019 UEFA Nations League, which Portugal won.
More to this, Ronaldo has also been instrumental as the team’s leader as well as, the experience that he has acquired.
Lately, he has been really energized and has played seven games before Euro 2024 out of which he has scored seven goals.
Martínez’s Response to Dependence Claims
When interviewed recently, Roberto Martínez pointed out that the success of the Portugal team was not all due to Ronaldo alone.
He said Ronaldo is necessary but sometimes, the team cannot rely just on Ronaldo and the rest of members should also contribute. According to Martínez, he trusts the quality of the full team, and not Ronaldo only.
He wants to play on the attack and is quite keen on actually winning. This proves he’s concerned with a team effort and appreciates Ronaldo but not only him.
Managing Player Fitness and Performance
Overall, Roberto Martínez formulates the smart plan of the player time usage especially taking into account that some of the team’s members are quite aged such as Cristiano Ronaldo by giving them an adequate amount of game time needed to maintain high performance from the team’s side.
He also observes the level of fatigue of the players so that they may produce their best when targeted games are going on but without necessarily injuring themselves.
It enables older players to pursue their talents and at the same time the young players to be in a position to learn from them.
Constant change of roles is important to ensure the team is active throughout, no one is tired, and everyone in the team has something to do.
The Dynamics of Team Play Without Ronaldo
According to Roberto Martinez, Portugal’s success in matches without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was not a starter, has led to discussions about the team’s strategy.
In four matches in 2024, Portugal won three times, scoring 19 goals and averaging 4.75 goals per match.
This is a big difference from their Euro 2024 performance, where they scored only five goals in five matches with Ronaldo playing.
This shows that Portugal can do well without Ronaldo, as other players like Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Jota played well and led the team’s attack.
For example, in a 6-1 win over Switzerland in the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo wasn’t there, and younger players like Gonçalo Ramos scored three goals, showing they can play well without him.
Media Reactions and Public Perception
Roberto Martínez’s opinions about Portugal’s dependency on Cristiano Ronaldo have brought a lot of positive and negativity.
Some media outlets are very specific in pointing out that Ronaldo is good but he does not single handedly build the team.
Some people were in a disagreement over whether Ronaldo has a negative trait where he makes the rest of his team rely heavily on him.
Individuals are receiving two different opinions, the team needs Ronaldo back and the new players are good, such as Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Jota.
This debate shows the attempt to give credit to Ronaldo’s performance and search for a better team for the successive games.
Building a Balanced Team Strategy
Roberto Martínez plans to make Portugal’s team more versatile and less dependent by changing their strategy.
He’s using a flexible 1-4-3-3 formation that lets players switch roles and gain an edge in midfield.
This strategy improves ball handling and creates more chances to score. Roberto Martinez wants his players to spread out and make overlapping runs in the midfield, giving them many ways to score instead of depending on Ronaldo.
He’s also working on creating a strong team where younger players can rise to the occasion, making the team more balanced and effective in international games.
Roberto Martínez wants Portugal to move beyond depending too much on Cristiano Ronaldo.
He plans to build a strong and united team, giving space for new talents and a mix of experienced players.
