The Portuguese national team shouldn't rely on Ronaldo blindly.

With 6 points after two group stage matches, the Portuguese national team has secured a place in the EURO 2024 Round of 16 before their match against Georgia. This is an ideal opportunity for Roberto Martinez to experiment with tactics and give key players a rest. However, the 50-year-old strategist still insists that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will start.

"Ronaldo will play. He's too important to be left out. Ronaldo has had a consistent season, playing in every game with a very high number of minutes. Therefore, it wouldn't be a good idea to leave him on the bench. Playing will help Ronaldo maintain his best form."

Coach Roberto Martinez still places his full trust in Ronaldo to lead the Portuguese national team's attack. Photo: EFE — Roberto Martinez still places his full trust in Ronaldo to lead the Portuguese national team's attack. Photo: Portuguese Football Federation

Martinez's statement received mixed reactions, with most believing the match against Georgia was the perfect opportunity for Ronaldo to score his first goal at EURO 2024. Meanwhile, Goal.com argued that Roberto Martinez was stubbornly and blindly relying on CR7, claiming this was the reason why the "European Selecao" attack, despite possessing many talented players, had not yet reached its full potential.

After two group stage matches, the 39-year-old striker's only notable contribution at EURO 2024 was an assist for Bruno Fernandes in the match against Türkiye. This play also helped Ronaldo achieve a record with 8 assists – the most in EURO history.

Ronaldo has yet to score his first goal at EURO 2024. Photo: AFP

According to Goal, CR7's pass to Bruno in a position where he could shoot is an understandable reaction from any player, especially at an age where their career is on the decline. Statistically, after the first two matches of EURO 2024, the Al-Nassr superstar has taken the most shots with 9 attempts. However, the quality of these shots wasn't particularly impressive, with an expected goals (xG) metric of 1.11.

Ronaldo only made two incursions into the final third of the opponent's pitch. His headers were no longer his strong point, as they were easily neutralized by opposing center-backs.

Before Roberto Martinez, Fernando Santos had already proven that Portugal could play well without Ronaldo in their 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup. That was considered the best performance by the "European Selecao" in Qatar. However, by continuing to keep Ronaldo on the bench in the following match, Coach Santos immediately paid the price with a bitter defeat against Morocco.

Even if Ronaldo is benched, the Portuguese national team still has other top-class players in attack. Photo: Goal

This is a lesson Martinez needs to consider when building a Portuguese national team that is no longer dependent on the 39-year-old captain. Remember, in the EURO 2024 qualifiers, the best performance under Martinez's leadership so far was Portugal's 9-0 thrashing of Luxembourg while Ronaldo was absent due to suspension. Therefore, instead of ignoring Ronaldo and trying to make him the 1985-born striker the main attacking force, the Spanish coach should carefully consider how to utilize Ronaldo effectively in the EURO 2024 campaign.

Source: https://laodong.vn/bong-da-quoc-te/tuyen-bo-dao-nha-khong-nen-su-dung-ronaldo-mot-cach-mu-quang-1357988.ldo