Roberto Martínez: Ex-Benfica star’s tough role v Ireland | OneFootball

Roberto Martínez was a happy man at the end of the match between Portugal and Ireland, which ended with a 1-0 victory. However, the national coach saw that the team had many difficulties attacking, especially Bernardo Silva, since the former Benfica player was playing outside his usual position.

Asked by journalists about his new tactic, the national coach began by emphasizing that the opponent's strategy made it difficult to execute: "Ireland was very asymmetrical and it was difficult to attack with our concepts".

He then explained what he really intended to do when he switched the former Benfica and former Braga wingers in the second half: "The idea was to have Pedro Neto wide on the left, use Nuno Mendes coming inside, and Bernardo inside on the right".

To conclude, the Spanish coach stressed that it was a strategy to create more difficulties for Ireland in order to break their defense: "These are aspects they know, it’s difficult for the opponent. With the players coming on, they added. Pleased with the attitude and commitment".

The national team will take the field again on the 14th, against the Hungarians, and, in case of victory, will secure a ticket to the World Cup.

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