Patrick Berg on Cristiano Ronaldo, praises Portugal: “Fantastic team” | OneFootball

Patrick Berg previewed Portugal-Norway, the fourth-round Nations League match scheduled for this Sunday, October 4, at 7:45 pm, at the Estádio do Dragão. The Norwegian international spoke about his role, the reaction to the defeat against Wales and Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation. About the Portuguese national team, he did not hesitate and assured: “Fantastic team, excellent options in every position.”

Facing the challenge of an away trip to Portugal, Patrick Berg struck a respectful tone towards the opponent, but without giving up Norwegian ambition. Between tactical choices, self-criticism and praise, the message was clear: Norway recognises the scale of the challenge, but believes it can compete.

Starting with his status as a substitute, Berg accepted the coach’s decision and chose to see the rest as an opportunity to arrive with more energy for the match against Portugal.

“Being a substitute? It is always the coach who chooses who plays, it was a tactical option, he has excellent midfielders available and I feel ready to contribute.” Patrick Berg explained: “I feel very good and in that sense it can be good to rest in order to have extra energy to face such a strong opponent.”

The answer rules out any sign of discomfort and puts the team above the individual situation. At the same time, it makes clear the importance the player gives to the opponent he will face at the Estádio do Dragão.

The defeat against Wales also came up in the press conference. Berg admitted that the performance fell short of what was wanted and revealed the demands made by the coach ahead of a match considered very important.

“The coach’s words after the defeat against Wales? Things did not go as intended. It is very important to acknowledge the poor performance. It is something we would like to improve, because it does not represent us.” The Norwegian international added: “We want to demand more from ourselves and believe in what we do. The coach told us this would be a very important game. We are very united and have quality. That is why we were chosen. We accept the decisions.”

His self-criticism therefore came together with a renewed confidence in the group. Berg did not look for excuses: he acknowledged what went wrong and pointed to unity and quality as the foundations for a response.

Asked about Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation, the midfielder admitted he had only followed the topic from a distance, as he was focused on a match. Even so, he recognised the unavoidable attention that comes with a figure of the Portuguese star’s stature.

“There was a lot of tension regarding the player and the man.” Berg then described the media impact: “I was in the middle of a match, so I was not very focused on the opponent, but a star of Ronaldo’s stature, there is no one more famous than him in the world, he always has the media on top of him, but I do not have much to say about that.”

It was a cautious answer, without fuelling the discussion around the player. Berg merely acknowledged Ronaldo’s global stature and the constant media exposure that comes with it.

When analysing Portugal, the Norwegian international did not hide his admiration for the quality available in every position. He acknowledged Portugal’s status as favourites, but refused to turn that difference into a foregone conclusion.

“Fantastic team, excellent options in every position. We can consider Portugal the favourites, but we have already proved that we can compete with the best and we expect a performance in line with that level.”

The praise does not erase the ambition. Norway arrives at the Dragão aware of Portugal’s strength, but backed by the belief that it can raise its level against the best.

The question of whether Portugal are stronger or weaker without Cristiano Ronaldo led Berg to avoid any definitive conclusions. The Norwegian underlined the forward’s legacy and argued that it will first be necessary to see the collective response of the Portuguese national team.

“It is difficult to answer, because we have not seen Portugal without him. Everyone knows Ronaldo’s career and everything he has achieved.” Patrick Berg underlined: “He is one of the greatest players ever to play football. I have great respect for Ronaldo, but we need to wait and see how Portugal will behave without Ronaldo.”

Between respect for Ronaldo’s career and uncertainty over the impact of his absence, Berg chose caution. For the Norwegian international, only Portugal’s behaviour on the pitch will allow a reliable answer.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.