Portugal need Bruno, Leao plays more selfishly

Portugal started EURO 2024 with a favorable result, beating the Czech Republic 2-1. However, in terms of playing style, the 2016 champions did not show much. This is disappointing, because Portugal has a squad full of stars.

In Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao, Portugal are blessed with three of the most creative attackers in world football. And Ronaldo is arguably the best finisher the game has ever seen.

Ronaldo doesn't score, but at 39, CR7 is always a constant threat to the opponent's goal. "At such an age, it's unbelievable that Ronaldo always shows his danger. He shows genius qualities, always knows how to create opportunities. I admire him. He is one of the best players in the history of football," said Czech coach Ivan Hasek.

According to Goal, one of the biggest problems for Portugal is that the stars around Ronaldo always try to pass the ball to him, instead of trying to score himself. Ronaldo had 5 shots against the Czech Republic, the same number as Fernandes, Bernardo and Leao combined.

The performance of these three stars is a matter of concern for the Portuguese team.

Bruno Fernandes needs freedom

Fernandes was heavily involved in the team's play and made the pass of the game in the first half. He made a pass that put Ronaldo in position to score in the first half, but his teammate failed to convert. However, the Manchester United star was Portugal's deepest midfielder, wasting his attacking qualities.

Therefore, against Türkiye - the team that beat Georgia 3-1 in the opening match, Joao Palhinha could be used, playing just above the back four. That could give Fernandes more freedom, creating conditions for him to launch creative passes as well as his dangerous shots.

What to do with Leao and Bernardo?

Bringing Palhinha into the starting line-up does not necessarily mean dropping Vitinha. The in-form Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was perhaps Portugal’s most effective player against the Czech Republic, with his progressive passes moving the ball forward. He deserves to keep his starting spot, in a midfield three alongside Fernandes and Palhinha.

Of course, that raises the question: What to do with Leao and Bernardo? Neither played well in their opening games. Leao played well but did not leave much of an impression. Meanwhile, Bernardo worked hard but did not produce the same results as he did at Man City.

Bernardo would clearly be more effective when used as a number 10, rather than out wide, as he doesn't have the pace to cause problems for opposition full-backs, but has the intelligence and trickery to cause chaos between the lines.

However, Leao's place is under serious threat. Portugal improved when Jota came on for Leao late in the game. The Liverpool striker gave the home team another scoring threat, alongside Ronaldo.

Jota scored a goal but it was ruled out for offside. Bernardo Silva said Jota’s introduction gave Portugal an extra man in the box, but it also gave them more options to finish the ball off. That was something Martinez’s side lacked in the first half.

According to Goal experts, coach Roberto Martinez has too many options in attack. He does not need to complicate things by unnecessarily shuffling positions.

“However, above all, he needs to get the best out of Ronaldo. And the only way to do that is to get the best out of those around him. Ronaldo can still be Portugal's key player but, as he showed against the Czech Republic, he cannot be the star of every game,” Goal commented.

Portugal will have their second match at EURO 2024 against Türkiye at 11:00 p.m. on June 22.

Source: https://laodong.vn/bong-da-quoc-te/tuyen-bo-dao-nha-can-bruno-leao-choi-ich-ky-hon-1356006.ldo