EURO 2024: Ronaldo advised to accept... sitting on the bench

Ronaldo will be participating in EURO for the 6th time, a record and at the age of 39. Coach Roberto Martinez has placed great trust in this famous player in the Portuguese team with the role of leader, captain and experience from 5 times competing in previous EUROs.

Will coach Roberto Martinez (small photo) dare to let Ronaldo sit on the bench at EURO 2024?

"Personally, if I decide on the lineup for the Portuguese national team in the two important opening matches of the EURO 2024 group stage, I will remove Ronaldo from the starting lineup. He should play from the bench to gradually regain the feeling of playing football at the highest level in Europe. If Ronaldo performs well, he can start in the final match of the group stage and keep his position for the knockout matches," said Mr. Paul Merson, in his comments on Sportskeeda about the matches of the Portuguese national team at EURO 2024.

In the EURO 2024 group stage, Portugal is in Group F, playing its opening match against the Czech Republic at 2:00 a.m. on June 19, Turkey at 11:00 p.m. on June 22, and Georgia at 2:00 a.m. on June 27.

"Ronaldo had a pretty good season in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr (scoring 35 goals in the Saudi Pro League). But remember, this tournament is of a much lower level than the tournaments in Europe. Therefore, Ronaldo needs to find his rhythm again, then he can meet the very high requirements like at EURO.

The Portuguese team will be very strong in defense with Pepe and Ruben Dias at the back, along with the flexibility of Bruno Fernandes in midfield. Up front, their advantage is speed with strikers Goncalo Ramos, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao or Diogo Jota. In this regard, Ronaldo has been very slow recently due to the burden of age," Mr. Paul Merson analyzed.

Paul Merson is a former Arsenal player. He is currently a commentator for talkSPORT and leading newspapers in the UK, as well as commenting on EURO 2024.

Ronaldo has just returned to the Portuguese national team after the holiday

"Therefore, I think coach Roberto Martinez should consider Ronaldo's role carefully and step by step, to be able to take advantage of all the advantages of this player. First of all, the mental factor with Ronaldo's role as a leader in the dressing room, then the ability to play at the necessary times to help him regain his feeling and excitement.

Ronaldo should also accept being on the bench and give timely advice based on his experience to his juniors. If he can do this, the Portuguese team will be very formidable at EURO 2024. Remember, it was Ronaldo's problems that caused the team to be in disarray and had a disappointing 2022 World Cup, when they were eliminated by Morocco in the quarter-finals," Paul Merson expressed.

Portugal are preparing for EURO 2024 with two friendly matches, a 4-2 win over Finland and a 1-2 loss to Croatia. They will play their final friendly against the Republic of Ireland at 1:45 a.m. on June 12. Ronaldo is expected to play from the start of the match to test his form and fitness.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/euro-2024-ronaldo-duoc-khuyen-nen-biet-chap-nhan-ngoi-du-bi-185240611091210234.htm