Roberto Martinez on frustrating goalless draw with Scotland
15/10/2024
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
15/10/2024
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hello, good evening everyone. Welcome to the press conference of Scotia Zero, Portugal Zero,
00:15the fourth round of the League of Nations. I will immediately ask the questions to the
00:20national selector, Roberto Martins, who identifies himself as the head of social communication.
00:24I will start with the Portuguese press and then move on to the international press.
00:29Let's start this post-match press conference, Portugal versus Scotland, new-new.
00:35Firstly, I would like to ask you to address the questions to the manager,
00:39firstly the Portuguese media. On top of that, I would like to ask you to identify yourselves
00:44when you ask your question.
00:58Good evening. The dynamic aspect, the freshness that we showed against Poland was missing
01:12in the front of the goal. That was missing because it was a very dangerous game.
01:17The second game away from home, 72 hours, it is important to have freshness because
01:23Scotland is a team that can use counter-attacks very quickly, the ball stops,
01:31arrives in front of the goal quickly and you need that freshness and energy to defend
01:37what Scotland can do. And we did that very well. I think that apart from keeping
01:44the beacon at zero, it was full of a good attitude, working very well.
01:50Then we controlled the game, we got to the last third, we got there many, many times
01:55and the last pass was missing, a decision was missing, a finish was missing.
02:02But we also need to give credit to...
02:07...we had five blocked shots. So we got there, we got there more than 52 times in the last third.
02:21So the attitude of the team was good, the connections were good, but it was missing.
02:28You need the last pass and you can say everything you need for the individual talent to score a goal.
02:59I agree, some contact was missing in front of the goal.
03:04I would say that we did lack some freshness, maybe the fact that we played 72 hours
03:10after the first match. This is our second match away, which is a dangerous context.
03:15Also, we need to mention that Scotland, they have rapid attacking players,
03:21so we needed that freshness to the game of today. We also needed that for defending.
03:27I believe that we did quite well, our behaviour was good, we did work hard.
03:32We managed to have control of the game, we managed to reach the last third and no follow-up times.
03:39Maybe there was something missing, although I would like to give credit to Scotland
03:44because they did well, the goalkeeper had a good performance.
03:48Five of our shots were blocked, so we had a positive behaviour, we had a positive kind of linking.
03:56We did lack maybe the last touch, a bit of precision in the last third.
04:26It's normal, when you play against teams from the bottom block, there are a lot of players in front of the goal,
04:41and the dangerous thing is to concede goals.
04:44The first thing is that, and we did it very well, the offensive balance was very good,
04:49we defended quickly, we didn't let Scotland have what they were looking for.
04:56We played a lot of games against bottom blocks, during the warm-up.
05:01The important thing is to reach the last third and the number of players in the area.
05:07I think that today there are many clear options to score.
05:14I remember three clear situations.
05:17The first goal is important, to score the first goal against a team that has a bottom block
05:23that has such a good defensive intensity, it's important.
05:27Today it didn't happen, but I don't think the team was frustrated,
05:34the team didn't lose control of the game.
05:37We lacked that, but it's not a concern to look ahead.
05:53It was different compared to the match against Poland.
05:56Portugal did struggle more today against Scotland, who had a deep midfield, a deep defence.
06:03How do you want to overcome such situations in the future?
06:09And also, why did you put John Felix in the last 5-6 minutes?
06:13What were you searching for with that option?
06:15It's normal to face these situations when you play with teams that have a deep position in the field,
06:22with a lot of men in front of the goal.
06:24It is also dangerous because we need to prevent from conceding goals.
06:31We managed to have a balance, we did not allow Scotland to play the game.
06:37We do play many games against defence who are deep in the pitch.
06:42Today we did create a lot of occasions to score, at least three on top of my head.
06:48It would be amazing if we scored our first goal, although that did not happen.
06:53However, our players did not show any sign of frustration.
06:57We did not lose control of the game.
07:00So, this is not a major concern for myself.
07:04To respond to what John Felix said, we have a lot of talent on the bench.
07:11It is important to continue with what is happening in the game.
07:15It was a moment to use Semedo, more energy from the outside.
07:19John Felix is a player who normally does not play on the left wing.
07:24He has a lot of quality to play between the lines.
07:28At that time, he tried to play like a player with his back to the goal.
07:36He could turn and use the space.
07:39He had a good attitude, but the period was short.
07:46To respond to what John Felix said, we have a lot of talent on the bench.
07:55It was important to continue with what is happening in the game.
08:00We used Semedo, more energy from the outside.
08:05John Felix is a player who normally does not play on the left wing.
08:11We wanted John Felix because he is capable of turning and creating spaces.
08:18This is why I opted to play John Felix.
08:37I think it was not the plan.
08:40I think it was the consequence that when we were on the field of Scotland,
08:49we had pass lines and many players with the possibility of playing in front.
08:56I think it happened against the Czech Republic,
08:59which is a consequence of what is happening with Bola.
09:03We are a team that is now showing a good connection.
09:07It is very difficult for a team to have a high pressure.
09:13I think it was more a consequence of the control of the game that we had
09:18and a solution of the players or the game than a strategy of the coach.
09:37Was you expecting to face a Scottish side so deep?
09:41Was you expecting that behaviour?
09:43I don't think it was a plan, although it was a consequence.
09:47We have this situation of creating a lot of passes between our players.
09:54This is also happening against the Czech Republic.
09:57Nowadays, we are a team that sees those spaces and we have this control.
10:02It is tough to play a high-pressure game when you face a national team of Portugal.
10:15Good evening.
10:16It was a very simple question.
10:18There were 39 crosses today.
10:23The crosses show that we got to the last third.
10:27But the crosses also need to be accurate.
10:31I think the cross today was in the first post.
10:35We had space in the second post.
10:37There was a lot of space because there were a lot of players in the area of the first post.
10:43The quality of the cross was lacking.
10:46But when you get to the last third 53 times, the cross is a statistic.
10:56All crosses are different.
10:58A ball from the back, a ball from the inside,
11:01getting to the last third to get out again.
11:04There are a lot of crosses.
11:06We can talk about decisions in the last third.
11:09I think we were looking for the goal.
11:12When we got to the last third, we lacked one more pass or one more assist.
11:19Looking for an assist in the last third helps when you play against teams with a low block.
11:24And we lacked that.
11:26But it's not a consequence of having the crosses or not.
11:29The crosses are all different.
11:31It's positive to have a lot of crosses in the last third.
11:34Because they weren't quick crosses to risk the ball.
11:39Because a cross that risks the ball opens a counterattack.
11:42And we didn't want to do that.
11:44We controlled the game.
11:45We controlled the counterattacks from Scotland.
11:47And a 10-0 win against a team like Scotland shows that we had a good idea,
11:51a good offensive balance in those crosses.
12:18What was missing was the right final decision.
12:23Today, perhaps, we did cross a lot of times to the first post.
12:27And maybe we didn't see the second post.
12:29Sometimes, Scotland left some spaces behind on the second post.
12:33We did lack some quality in terms of our crosses.
12:38Altogether, we did reach the area about 53 times.
12:42This is a start.
12:44However, we should take into account that there are different kinds of crosses.
12:50As I mentioned, the decision in our final third was the missing aspect today.
12:56Maybe when you are in those areas, you have to do an extra pass, an extra assist.
13:01And that would be helpful today if it happened.
13:07So, we have to take into account for next time this aspect of the crosses.
13:14At the same time, we did not want to take a lot of risks
13:18because we were playing against a dangerous side.
13:20We managed to control Scotland.
13:22We managed to maintain this equilibrium, this balance defensive-wise.
13:28Now, we will give the floor to the international journalist.
13:49I wasn't aware. I didn't see it.
13:52I can't really answer on that.
13:54I will find out. I can answer.
14:24I think it's a very good point.
14:26I've got more than 100 caps in international football.
14:29We used in this camp 21 outfield players.
14:33It's very difficult to maintain the level consistently with so many players.
14:37Normally, it's easy to use 12, 13 players.
14:39I think that speaks volumes of the quality that we have.
14:43A very committed generation.
14:45We're talking about players like Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Cristiano.
14:52Players that have been there.
14:53They've done it. They've been there for a long time.
14:55But then, the new generation.
14:56They're coming. They can breathe.
14:58They can see the example of these players.
15:01The competition for places is fantastic.
15:03To be able to see a player like Pedro Neto, who is still a very young player,
15:06and Aveshiko Konsintzou fighting for positions,
15:10excites me incredibly for the future.
15:14We're working towards the Nations League.
15:17That's the reality today.
15:19But the World Cup is in 19 months.
15:21It has to be an objective.
15:23What we do in every camp is to have that main objective at the end of the 19 months.
15:32You've had two very tough games against Scotland over the course of the last few weeks.
15:37There's a sense that Scotland are maybe finding their feet at this level.
15:40Where do you see this team in the revolution?
15:43Absolutely. I think it's not a surprise.
15:45I think we had two tough games.
15:47But I think Poland and Croatia had two tough games as well.
15:50You're talking about very small margins.
15:52I think Steve Clarke is building a national team that looks like a club.
15:56That's a big, big compliment.
15:58Everybody works for each other.
16:00They know the structure.
16:01They're brave when they have to be.
16:03They've got quick attacks.
16:04They've got a lot of quality.
16:06Scottish players playing abroad makes a big difference.
16:09Playing in the city, getting the experience of the Premier League.
16:11This is a very good dressing room.
16:14They beat the European champions.
16:16Not by coincidence or accident.
16:18I think full credit to Steve Clarke and the technical staff.
16:22They're doing a great job.
16:23Always difficult to beat the opponents of this Scottish team.
16:30Hi, Tony.
16:31Were you worried at all when this spectator into the pitch
16:34and seemed to be running towards Ronaldo at quite some pace?
16:38Yeah, unfortunately it happened too many times.
16:41Too many times.
16:42It's not the first time.
16:43During the European Championships we had it on many, many occasions.
16:48And of course we know what Cristiano brings to the game.
16:52I think the excitement, the iconic figure.
16:54We understand that.
16:55But when you've got someone jumping on the pitch
16:57and he's got the wrong intentions,
16:59it's very dangerous and it's a worry.
17:01Absolutely.
17:02I was worried.
17:03But I'm glad he was just left where he was.
17:07Do you know why Cristiano was annoyed at the end?
17:10Maybe.
17:11I don't know.
17:12As I said, I don't know what happens at the end.
17:14I'm sure it could be one of the reasons.
17:16But I can't really answer.
17:18Okay.
17:19Thank you, everyone.
17:20Yeah.
17:31Is that official?
17:32It's official now.
17:34I was a bit busy outside the hand and trying to win again.
17:38He's a wonderful coach.
17:40He's someone that has won the Champions League.
17:42He knows the Premier League inside out.
17:44So I think he's someone that is going to bring a fantastic level
17:51to carry on to what Cardiff South gets done,
17:54that I said many times.
17:56He did an amazing job with England.
17:58And I think Thomas, if he's official,
18:02he can do a great job.
18:05Thank you very much, everyone.
18:06Thank you very much.