Coach Roberto Martinez cannot leave Ronaldo out of the starting lineup for many different reasons, including symbolism.
Portugal is considered one of the top candidates for the Euro 2024 championship. With many faces playing for big clubs in Europe, I think the Portuguese people have high expectations for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates in this year’s tournament.
However, as you can see, the last 4 matches of the Portuguese national team were not easy matches. Although they only had to face opponents who were weaker in terms of level, the European Selecao could not achieve absolute results. In fact, Mr. Martinez and his team even lost to Georgia or almost stopped in the round of 16 against Slovenia.
I think that the key players of the Portuguese national team will not be in good shape for Euro 2024 because they have just gone through a fierce season in the club shirt. That partly affects the performance of the Portuguese national team.
Not only Portugal, many big teams such as England, France, Belgium, Netherlands … also encountered difficulties against small teams. Everyone knows that the underdogs are well prepared mentally and spiritually. Moreover, they participate in Euro 2024 with a relaxed spirit and have nothing to lose. Therefore, it is the comfort that has caused discomfort for the big teams.
Coach Roberto Martinez cannot remove Ronaldo from the starting lineup because of his symbolic value.
From a professional perspective, Ronaldo is playing unconvincingly at Euro 2024. However, coach Roberto Martinez cannot leave the 39-year-old player out of the starting lineup for many different reasons.
I think coach Roberto Martinez has his own intentions when giving a 39-year-old veteran like Ronaldo the opportunity to start all 4 matches. The fact that Al Narss’s player is in the starting lineup is not only about professional value, it is also about the symbolism and value of the Portuguese national team.
The young players on the bench may be more suitable for Ronaldo tactically. However, CR7 plays a big role in the psychological and morale of the Portuguese national team. If Cristiano is put on the bench, the media will focus all their criticism on coach Roberto Martinez. From there, the internal Selecao in Europe will become unstable and fall into a situation like the 2022 World Cup.
