Tiago Petinga/Lusa
Portuguese football coach Roberto Martínez.
Four months later, the national team is back and, with this, the already usual contradictions of Roberto Martínez as well. This time, the coach said he was the worker of the duo Vitinha + João Neves. Luis enrichs one will have laughing.
It seems to be becoming a habit. Whenever the selection comes back, Roberto Martínez summons the contradiction.
The Portuguese coach announced, on Friday, the 26 summoned for both games against Denmark (March 20 and 23), to tell the Nations League Film Rooms.
Regarding the last call, in November, Martínez promoted the returns of Gonçalo Inácio, Rúben Dias, Diogo Jota, Rúben Neves and Gonçalo Ramoswith Tomás Araújo, Tiago Djaló, Otávio, Matheus Nunes and Pedro Gonçalves to leave the call.
OS to fight for a place in the Final Four of the League of Nations!
– Portugal (@selecaoportugal)
This time, it was not the choices of Martinez to generate contradiction, but a ‘small’ dishonesty at the followed press conference.
The journalist Ricardo Nunes From TVI/CNN Portugal questioned the coach if, in the next games, he intends to enjoy the dynamics created in the clubs. In this question, the focus was the midfield duo Vitinha and João Neveswhich has been the Motor do Psg of Luis Enrique.
The conquest of Ligue 1 (one more) is inevitable. In turn, in ChampionsPSG has impressed, in the last two weeks, to dominate and eliminate the great favorite Liverpool. More than the excellent collective, the highlight of Parisians has been the double Vitinha + João Neves that Luis Enrique launched And it seems no longer wanting to drop.
And if, on the one hand, the Spanish coach is the creator of this duo; on the other, your compatriot seems to want to keep the laurels.
This Friday, asked about the work that the duo have been doing on PSG, Martínez tried to ‘put the points of the is’, but continued Martínez and contradicted …
The national coach stated that he was the first to use the duo. And did not lie. It really was. Vitinha and João Neves first played together on June 4, 2024, in a friendly game against Finland before Euro 2024.
Since then, the team has played 13 times, but Martínez only returned to the duo once (in November). Interestingly, it was in a game against Croatia, where Portugal had already secured the passage to the Nations League quarter-finals. In addition, to that date, Vitinha and João Neves already took four months of joint work at PSG.
Another proof that Martínez could not value or visited the pair of mids is the fact that, that, In the five Portuguese games of Euro 2024, Vitinha and João Neves were never on the field at the same time.
“It is necessary to remember that the duo Vitinha + João Neves starts in the national team, before PSG, in June 2024, and We soon feel a special chemistry“The coach fired.
However, it is known why, this “Special Chemistry” would only be put into practice more than five months later and was totally disapproved in the euro…
“It is necessary to remember that the duo Vitinha/João Neves started in the national team” – Roberto Martínez
— B24 (@B24PT)
That is, Martínez said the visionary of the duo Vitinha + João Neves, but his choices disadvantage this theory. On the contrary, Luis Enrique saw, risked and is able to enhance the football of the two Portuguese midfielders.
It is safe to say that Spanish (PSG’s…) is the true worker of one of the best doubles of current football.
Martínez’s contradictions
This is neither the first nor the second time Martínez has been contradicted since he is in charge of the National Team.
In October, the Spanish coach justified Samu Costa’s call because he wanted to have a left medium in the national team. In November, he chose to have average strikers. Samu was left out and no left -handed medium was called. But, however, two midfielders were injured and the “defensive” Samu was chosen to replace them.
In June, at the Call for Euro 2024, the Spanish coach left Matheus Nunes from outside 26, having justified the decision with the fact that the Manchester City player had had A few minutes, throughout the season.
“It’s hard for us to know if you can play two games within four days. (…) We know a lot what Matheus can give, but we don’t know what time, ”he said, at the time.
It would have been, from the outset, a valid and non -contradictory justification, if Roberto Martínez had not put the name of Pedro Netothat, since March 9, had only played 12 minutesat the service of the Wolves.
Another contradiction: Matheus Nunes eventually went to Euro 2024to surrender the injured Otávio, having the national coach described that exchange as “Very obvious and natural” – Even though I said earlier that I did not know what guarantees Matheus Nunes could give to the Portuguese team in the competition.
