Portugal manager Roberto Martinez insists that his side are “fully ready” for Friday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against France.
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has insisted that his side are “fully ready” for Friday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against France, with the national team bidding to create “everlasting memories”.
The Iberian nation suffered a 2-0 defeat to Georgia in their final group fixture at this summer’s competition, and they then needed penalties to beat Slovenia in the round of 16 following a goalless draw.
After scoring five times in their opening two games at the tournament against Czech Republic and Turkey, Portugal have failed to register in their last two, and Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in extra-time against Slovenia, which led to him being in tears at the interval of the additional 30 minutes.
Portugal will now tackle France for a spot in the semi-finals, and Martinez is confident that his team will be able to show their top performance level in Friday’s contest.
“In terms of being predictable, everyone knows how great teams play. The important thing is execution – the talent of our players. I think we’re fully ready,” Martinez told UEFA’s official website.
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Martinez says Portugal are “fully focused”
“These are the quarter-finals and we’re fully focused. We’re critical of ourselves, we always want to improve, but we don’t have to change everything from game to game.
“Criticism shows how passionate people are about the national team, and I accept that. But I also believe we have very important players and a very competitive dressing room. My job is to have our players to perform as best they can, and that’s what I promise to the fans.
“Games are very competitive here. It’s hard to score the first goal. I think we run a lot of risks. To score, you need to get into the last third, but we have possession and a lot of players in position. We are doing a lot of things well and we need to keep on doing that, but there are things we can improve.
“As national team coach, this is a key moment. It’s a chance to create everlasting memories. Winning the EURO in 2016 is a memory – it shouldn’t be compared with another generation. This generation has been on another path. I hope the current generation can motivate other generations in the future.
“I want to play well and I want to play beautifully, and I want to score goals. Perfection is something we don’t have, so we work to be at our best at all times. When we play beautifully, we play better, and when we play better, we have more chance to win games.”
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Martinez brands Ronaldo “an example”
Martinez was also full of praise for Ronaldo, who is yet to register at Euro 2024, drawing blanks in each of his four games at this summer’s competition.
The Al-Nassr forward did score in the penalty-shootout success over Slovenia, though, and the Portugal manager has called the 39-year-old “an example”.
“It’s significant to see a player who has won everything and has a huge amount of records, in terms of the number of games for the national team, the number of goals,” he added.
“The freshness he brings is surprising. He’s an example: someone who wants to win every day, who wants to compete every day. When you’ve got a player that committed, forget about what he’s done in the past – it’s a privilege.”
Ronaldo is still aiming to become the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history, and he is expected to be in the starting XI against France despite calls for him to be dropped due to his struggles at the tournament thus far.
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