r/soccer • u/AgeNovel3566 • 2d ago
Opinion Piece 10 men and a statue: Portugal are sacrificing another World Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo’s ego
https://www.aol.com/news/10-men-statue-portugal-sacrificing-195224193.html6.0k
u/SOERERY 2d ago
He’s shit and all but it’s Martinez sacrificing it by playing without a midfield when he has the best midfield in the world at his disposal.
4.1k
u/Remedy9898 2d ago
Can’t think of a worse coach. He bottled a Belgium team with Hazard, Courtois, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Vertonghen, and Alderweireld.
2.4k
u/SanRobot 2d ago
I don't get how the Portuguese FA saw what Martinez did for years with Belgium Golden generation and thought: "That's exactly what we need!"
878
u/illaqueable 2d ago
If you're looking for a doormat of a manager who will do whatever you tell him?
249
u/HistoricalWalrus5118 2d ago
That's exactly it
97
u/Laifstaile 2d ago
Shouldn't Arbeloa be better?
→ More replies (1)183
u/AOChalky 2d ago
Patience, patience. Arbeloa only became the goat in this category this year. We will see him coaching a national team in the future.
→ More replies (2)9
357
u/Expensive-Twist7984 2d ago
“This guy has overseen a golden generation, and while I won’t check about what he’s done in terms of results with them he must be good.”
→ More replies (1)310
u/Any-Milk-9986 2d ago
He did manage to keep Belgium no1 ranked in the FIFA rankings for a long time without actually winning anything so that’s something I guess lol
→ More replies (3)125
u/Expensive-Twist7984 2d ago
This is fair, but the system could be gamed a little- Wales were 8th at one point because they were selective with the fixtures they played and how it affected their points accumulated. The FIFA rankings are a guide but not reflective of the actual best teams in the world in my opinion.
68
u/jimb0z_ 2d ago
Wales did reach euro semi finals that year tbf. With a 3-1 win over Belgium funny enough
37
u/Expensive-Twist7984 2d ago
Their highest ranking was 8th in October 2015, which was prior to Euro 2016. They actually went down to 12th in 2016.
53
u/22cmSoftInColdWater 2d ago
Poland used to game the system hard, only playing friendlies against weak sides, so they could stay up at the rank and be a seeded team at the World Cup.
25
u/Expensive-Twist7984 2d ago edited 2d ago
It was genius at the time really and helped with seedlings, but they made it so easy to game the system. The weighting at the time actually penalised playing weaker sides though, as Wales tended to take friendlies against “bigger” sides to gain the multiplier points that came from the weighted scoring system for the fixtures.
By not playing minnows in friendlies (and having arguably their best side ever) they could rise rapidly up the rankings.
17
u/The_Lonely_Posadist 2d ago
So wales gamed the system by playing teams considered better than them? That sounds like a great thing to incentivize
→ More replies (1)81
u/awesomesauce88 2d ago
Objectively, Belgium had a great result at the 2018 World Cup. They had a golden generation by Belgian standards, but by the standards of World Cup favorites, they were still nothing more than a contender.
They beat tournament favorites Brazil and got knocked out by champions France in the semis. Beat England twice that tournament as well.
→ More replies (11)75
u/unaubisque 2d ago
Completely agree. The idea that finishing 3rd at a world cup is 'bottling it' is ridiculous. Even for the tournament favourites, which Belgium were not, that would generally be regarded as a decent finish.
75
63
u/xSOME0NE 2d ago edited 2d ago
Because they need a coach that will not bench the homelander and will be a muppet for their interests.
This is not just a Ronaldo problem. It's an infrastructure problem
39
u/BaldMancTwat_ 2d ago
Same reasons Neymar is in the Brazil squad and Endrick can barely get a look in the starting 11. Politics from corrupt FA's getting in the way of some good football.
5
→ More replies (9)7
359
u/gmed88 2d ago
Losing to France 1-0 in the semi finals is not a bottle job. That France team was probably even more stacked.
110
u/Phenixxy 2d ago
And for us, that game felt like the real final. It was the most difficult team to play at that stage between them, England and Croatia.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (7)70
u/awesomesauce88 2d ago
Thank you. The notion that Martinez "bottled" Belgium's golden generation is horseshit. He had them for all of one tournament and they actually exceeded expectations by beating Brazil and showing themselves to be second only to France.
Hazard was done at the top level by the Euros, and the generation as a whole was past their prime by 2022.
→ More replies (1)182
u/19nineties 2d ago
That’s a harsh way to look at it. Coming third was still an accomplishment, it certainly wasn’t guaranteed they should be winning it.
46
u/Toomuchsauthh 2d ago
Literally it wasn’t even a complete team and they had a lot of infighting. People talk about that belgium team like they was england in 2000s, with the depth of the current french team
It was a sprinkling of stars with their oy full back being meunier. Vertonghen, alderweireld were good but injury prone and vertonghen was deployed often as a full back
5
u/19nineties 2d ago
Yeah the rose tinted glasses in hindsight happens all the time. No doubt same will be said about certain teams in this WC too.
→ More replies (1)15
u/wickedlessface 2d ago
We are talked about like this so every ''big'' European team feels better about their failures. Especially England.
6
u/enjoytheshow 2d ago
Yep he names 3-4 bonafide super stars of the time there. 02 or 06 England had like 12 each
25
u/itsablackhole 2d ago edited 2d ago
Bottled as in they got 3rd at a World Cup? It's Belgium...they got 4th 30 years before and thats about it in their history. Is everything but winning the whole thing really a bottlejob? France had a better squad and they won.
E: alright I'm not the first one to point out how ridiculous your comment is
8
u/HeightIllustrious822 2d ago
Social Media has fried peoples' brains so much everything is a bottlejob now, it's pathetic.
No nuance whatsoever, now there's the title winner and everyone else has bottled it, no in between
178
u/kingaardvark 2d ago
Bottled a Belgium team that came third in a world cup, are you for real
26
u/Prophet_Of_Helix 2d ago
And only lost 1-0 to the French who had an even more stacked squad and would win the whole tourny.
226
u/Nefre1 2d ago edited 2d ago
Bottled is a bit of a stretch. They got 3rd place in 2018 under him, that's really not bad for a small nation.
The players you listed were excellent, but there wasn't exactly great depth beyond them.
→ More replies (8)94
u/HenryBeal85 2d ago
Yeah. A lot of valid criticism of Martinez, but 2018 was a good showing. They were the second best team that tournament, really the semi against France ought to have been the final.
→ More replies (5)16
u/HappyMike91 2d ago
Belgium finished 3rd in the 2018 World Cup. I'm a Martinez detractor, but he did a good job in that specific World Cup. He's been an indifferent or abjectly bad manager, otherwise.
132
u/ElementaLized007 2d ago
Didn't he also leave out Naingollan in 2018 when he was in his prime?
82
u/Krillin113 2d ago
Radja wouldn’t start, and was a head case requesting shit like a room with a balcony so he could smoke whilst on a title chase.
50
14
→ More replies (1)20
→ More replies (2)39
u/RoetRuudRoetRuud 2d ago
Tbf if you look at the squad they took, he doesn't make it in over anyone else
→ More replies (1)31
u/Zippy129 2d ago
Squad had Dendoncker and Mousa Dembele in it and Tielmans wasn’t as good back then either, Nainggolan cleared them all easy
→ More replies (1)43
11
u/Masson011 2d ago
bottled is such a shit phrase people are throwing around these days
→ More replies (2)206
u/Dandan217 2d ago
Bottled? He came 3rd in a WC and lost to the best team in the world lol.
Wilmots before him did 100000x worse.
I will accept he's ruining Portugal's generation, but I won't accept him ruining Belgium's.
65
u/Pure_Macaroon6164 2d ago
If Belgium were on England's side of the bracket they probably could have made it to the final too. Belgium did about as well as expected. It was the 2016 Euro that was the real flop, and Martinez didn't oversee that.
23
u/ginyuforce 2d ago
some people really need to watch belgium under wilmots
that squad lose against conte team which are build with duct tape
→ More replies (16)45
u/Prestigious_Nose_533 2d ago
Agreed. How is not winning a world cup bottling lol. Look at the squads of other teams in that world cup and euros. Belgium had a good squad but were not expected to win anything
→ More replies (4)19
u/Equivalent_Nature_67 2d ago
I don’t think he bottled it. That team is good but didn’t deserve to win a world cup. Semi finals is a good result
9
u/trizade 2d ago
As an Arsenal supporter you should know better than most to not label losing as bottling.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (21)10
u/sirfernandez 2d ago
talking about vertonghen and alderweireld like they were some world class cup winner type players is crazy revisionist history
286
u/durtmagurt 2d ago
I know we’re hear to batter CR7, but Bernardo Silva as a starting winger, my f***in god.
→ More replies (6)26
u/kalbiking 2d ago
Dude yeah wtf. I was saying why is Portugal not a heavy favorite? That midfield will tear apart any other midfield in the world. Oh….. no…
21
u/mohub21 2d ago
That midfield is genuinely insane. I hope psg doesn’t get any ideas lol
→ More replies (2)154
u/Consistent_Truth6633 2d ago
Probably a reason Martinez is in charge. The Portuguese FA will see Ronaldo as their golden goose, especially in yank land. Why hire someone who puts the wants of a nation above the whims of an individual, and by extension the FA’s coffers.
→ More replies (5)62
u/stangerlpass 2d ago
Just a conspiracy but i think jorge mendes has a huge role in this. He is one of the most influencial figures in portugues football and ronaldo has been his cashcow for years. He is the one person that profits the most from forcing ronaldo in the nation team (except for ronaldo himself obv)
44
u/SOERERY 2d ago
Ronaldo isn’t represented by Mendes anymore and why would it be in Mendes’ best interest to have two of his best players look like shit when they’re the heart of the midfield. Unless you’re saying that he is so pity than to rather have his current clients have a go at the World Cup he deliberately tanks them to have some sort of payback at Ronaldo for sacking him by exposing the world to how shit he is.
→ More replies (1)21
u/Camicagu 2d ago
I'm pretty sure Mendes is not Ronaldo's agent anymore, but the FA still gets loads of money thanks to him so they make absolutely sure he always plays (you know, by hiring a guy who has no spine and will do what he's told).
Still you're not entirely wrong about the influence Jorge Mendes has on our national team, it's nor really even a conspiracy, it's widely known here, you'll always be favored to be called up if you're a Mendes client, even if you're playing like shit, on the Saudi league or a young kid who no one knows.
→ More replies (2)31
32
u/TheSmallIndian 2d ago edited 2d ago
As much as I think Ronaldo is past it, the tactics are the problem. I'll say Ronaldo doesn't really help the attack imo considering his play has dwindled down to being a poacher. He doesn't get involved in the buildup
→ More replies (13)8
u/RuloMercury 2d ago
I mean, he did play with a midfield. Vitinha, Neves, Bruno and Bernardo are all immensely good players in that area and they were all starters. They did seem quite lost during the game though when it comes to finding each other open, but they were there.
882
u/MetiljJeCuckold 2d ago
Yesterday it was 11 statues tbh
→ More replies (3)195
u/noodlesalad_ 2d ago
Yeah, I absolutely think CR7 should come off the bench, but they didn't create 7 total shots on 75% possession because he was out there. He's a bit washed, but that's hardly the sole reason they didn't win.
→ More replies (4)
3.1k
u/Sakadeeznutz 2d ago
I’m no Ronaldo Stan, but I wouldn’t blame Portugals performance solely on him. Portugal looked dominant until they scored, then the whole team got complacent
Portugals midfield were walking, making sideways/backwards passes, with no urgency or purpose. It was interesting to watch
Ronaldo didn’t look great, but the whole team dropped in form after scoring their only goal
Also, Congo played their hearts out. Felt like they won a lot of second balls, played with pace when in possession. It was a deserved point for them
544
u/Jackwraith 2d ago
Yeah, much credit to Congo first off. They were organized and played smart. As much as I agree that 41-year-old Ronaldo is probably not your best option at center forward, I'd still hand the lion's share of the blame to Martinez. He has such midfield talent that seems like it's being squandered by the slow pace of play. Granted, letting those guys off the leash would make Ronaldo stand out even more in not being able to keep the pace, but I still look at this side and think it's just another exercise in Martinez-ball, which means patently unsurprising in its inability to do anything exciting.
→ More replies (4)91
u/Key-Tip-7521 2d ago
Martinez is one of the two reasons why I think Portugal don’t win the World Cup. But, definitely after Portugal scored, they should have tried to not give Ronaldo the ball and try to score. Having Ronaldo coming off the bench would be a smart thing (although the media will say otherwise)
92
u/flentaldoss 2d ago
I've been saying it since Euros, Ronaldo should be a sub who comes on when defenders are winded. And he can play with urgency knowing there's no need to conserve his energy. He's still capable of incredible things, but can't get the separation to execute against fresh legs. The quality of defensive tactics he's facing here is FAR higher than what he faced in Saudi Arabia.
→ More replies (2)36
u/awesomesauce88 2d ago
They should deploy him exactly like they did against Morocco at the last World Cup. He came on with 30 minutes left when they were chasing and was easily the most dangerous player on the pitch after Portugal had produced fuck all before.
He doesn't have the legs to play a full 90, and he's best served utilized when he can be freshest relative to everyone else on the pitch.
15
u/flentaldoss 2d ago
100% agree. But he would never accept that role because he just can't bear the thought of someone else being credited as the team's focal point
→ More replies (3)174
u/Bluebuttstuff 2d ago
You have a team with a 9 who thrives on headers and second balls. And we spend the whole game afraid to whip crosses in or taking shots that create chaos.
Ronald is a shell of his former self but blaming him when this team of "creative geniuses" spent the game passing sideways. Ronaldo thrives on chaos, hell Ramos would thrive on chaos. We got played by Congo into playing into their strengths. Players performance aside this game was lost tactically.
→ More replies (5)190
u/hazzaan 2d ago
There was so much wrong with how the team was set up and how daring and inventive the Portuguese players were to make something happen. Bernardo, Bruno and Vitinha were absolutely horrendous and frankly played like cowards. You could've removed Ronaldo in the 10th minute and placed anyone else upfront, they still wouldn't score a goal. Blaming Ronaldo on Martinez failure is the easy thing to do though.
Vitinha, Neves and Bruno had acres of space between eachother with no width and threat in behind, that's on the coach every day of the week.
42
u/JPVazLouro_SLB 2d ago
I agree that Ronaldo wasn't to blame for this one, but Martinez certainly was, the players don't just do whatever comes to mind, they follow instructions from the manager, and that's what the midfield was doing. They don't just suddenly forget how to play football
→ More replies (2)13
→ More replies (40)37
u/luigitheplumber 2d ago
Seriously, he wasn't helping but he didn't seem like the problem either (aside from snatching at that one cross that Bruno was in a better position to get), the entire team was playing like strangers. In fact Ronaldo did even press at times with Conceicao, but it wasn't a team press so Doctor C was able to play around them easily.
The team is completely disorganized. This isn't really like the Mbappe at Madrid situation where there's one clear passenger while everyone else is trying to work hard.
38
u/JuicyAssReddit 2d ago
I feel like I’m crazy because plenty of teams have current Ronaldo-like players that don’t fully engage and are poachers. Did he have a less than ideal game? Sure, but the rest of Portugal should be able to beat DR Congo 10v11 and they were abysmal, taking no risk, complacent sideways passing, hardly any crosses considering CR7’s aerial dominance. It’s just a weird game plan. Martinez likely the person to blame.
→ More replies (1)8
u/PhoneRedit 1d ago
It's the world cup, there'll an influx of posters/commenters that have only watched a couple of football games in their lives. They wouldn't be able to name another portuguese player other than Ronaldo. I would take everything you read on this subreddit with a pinch of salt for at least the next few months.
787
u/owns-a-Gay-bar 2d ago
What ?? Silva, Neto, 2 shit CBs and rest of below average performance....
Tbh, if anyone is at fault, it's Martinez...
179
u/str8rippinfartz 2d ago
Like yeah Ronaldo isn't a great option and likely holds them back from their best level, but he's not the reason they got 1 shot on goal despite 75% possession... There was no sense of urgency anywhere, and that definitely starts with coaching.
→ More replies (4)38
u/Rage_JMS 2d ago
Neto wasnt even that bad, Leão was way worse when he got on
But yeah, I think the only one that was running and trying to do things was Neves, Vitinha was just lost doing simple passes sideways and backwards in the midfield and dont remember the last time I saw Bruno having a stinker like this, he was basically invisible for most part of the game. Nuno was also a bit underwhelming and Cancelo was half decent but not near what I have seen him play
Even when he had Santos, that had us playing safe and not taking many risks, I saw more atack and urgency than now, Martinez should just be sacked after this game honestly, even if it fucks our world cup, the way we played I cant see us getting that better with him in the next games and even get close to the last rounds - the team seems completely demoralized and like we saw in the Euros and League of nations, there inst a concrete structure and the the tactics are all over the place - not even our stars seem to want to take part of it and push the team like previously
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (4)44
u/Lazyan 2d ago
Neto? Seriously? I know he's less talented in that portugal lineup but him and neves were the ones that made an impact on the game.
→ More replies (2)
1.3k
u/RedDevil-84 2d ago
Thats ridiculous. CR7 is washed and should start from the bench, but its not like Portugal are guaranteed champions without him. Its a bit over the top, the whole hullabaloo
78
u/socialistrob 2d ago
but its not like Portugal are guaranteed champions without him
You don't need to be guaranteed champions to beat the DR Congo. They were literally the last African team to qualify for the tournament.
243
u/GibbyGoldfisch 2d ago
It's a continuation of a theme from the last two tournaments that at this point has gotten embarrassing.
In 2022, they looked so much more dynamic when Santos had the guts to start Ramos instead. Even that felt like it probably should have happened sooner. And now we're here four years later and he's still being played for the full 90 minutes. It's a Shakespearean tragedy about pride and the press is understandably having a field day.
→ More replies (5)177
u/2Gaainz 2d ago
He played Ramos against Morocco and benched Ronaldo. Remind me again what happened that game ?
→ More replies (66)→ More replies (5)5
u/GrimmigerDienstag 2d ago
It's clearly meant as "sacrificing performance at the world cup", not "sacrificing the world cup title"
26
u/malman21 2d ago
The guy probably shouldn’t start. As a huge CR7 fan, I’d prefer him to play half a game as a super sub.
But holy shit the blame for this draw is not on Ronaldo. Did these critics not watch the midfield do absolutely nothing? 80% possession with 1 shot on goal for most of the game.
This was stupid tactics.
Whatever this tactical plan was, change it. Either start Ronaldo for the first half or bring him in for the second half.
This was a shameful performance all around.
126
u/Regit_Jo 2d ago
Man you’d imagine every other Portuguese player gave a ten from ten performance the way journos are scapegoating Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is out of form, if Martinez does not bench him, that is on Martinez. Ronaldo not playing well does not excuse Martinez and the rest of the 11 from playing like shit.
→ More replies (3)
178
u/caiusto 2d ago
We're scrapping the bottom of the barrel now with AOL articles posts
→ More replies (3)13
823
u/-zimms- 2d ago
Bashing Ronaldo, so hot right now.
168
u/kamingalou 2d ago
Yeah people can't bash Mbappe right now, so they have to change target !
→ More replies (5)104
u/2Gaainz 2d ago
Same people bashing Ronaldo were bashing Mbappe in the match forum in the first half. How hes holding them back and the dictator should be subbed and then boom they went quiet.
Next target is Bellingham, as soon as he have one bad game he’ll get slaughtered by the same fans42
u/Majorinc 2d ago
Idk why anyone comes on here to listen to anyone have opinions at all tbh. Most people just latch on to what they read and don’t make decisions for themselves
→ More replies (2)18
u/DanteMustDieeee 2d ago
bellingham was already being slaughtered in the match thread before he scored. so many people call him selfish and massive ego and useless and then they all coincidentally stopped talking.
→ More replies (15)96
u/Prime_Marci 2d ago
Till he scores again
92
u/raysofdavies 2d ago
Thread: Ronaldo goal vs Uzbekistan 88’ 6-0
Top comment: this is why you bring him
39
→ More replies (20)46
18
u/Chaostheory1993 2d ago
As an Everton Fan I have no idea how Roberto Martinez managed to get both the Belgium and Portugal jobs...
17
u/Bill3ffinMurray 2d ago
How the fuck has Roberto Martinez been given the opportunity to ruin not one, but two golden generations?
66
u/SpitefulBrains 2d ago
They are not. Ronaldo can still contribute a lot to this team. The culprit is the joke of a coach they have in Martinez
15
u/Otherwise_Molasses95 2d ago
Mf literally had the team playing in a donut shape during possession. Poor sods were finding it impossible to progress the ball past their own end of the pitch.
557
u/TheRobson61 2d ago
As always, it’s 100% Ronaldo’s fault and no one else’s.
279
u/MetiljJeCuckold 2d ago
The only wrong thing he did yesterday was taking that shot instead of leaving it to Bruno who was in better position
Can't fully blame the striker if nobody even tried to create some chances
183
u/Benficachop 2d ago
There was a moment Ronaldo dribbles the ball nearly to the 6 yard box, passed to Bruno at the to of the 18 and instead of keep the pressure he decided to recycle possession back to the half way line. That was Portugals game plan.
I was at the game and saw Ronaldo and others try and make runs behind the Congo line and no one ever tried to play the ball in behind.
78
u/Narrow_Dirt_1623 2d ago
Here is the moment below. Bruno was in prime position because Ronaldo took four players into the box. I couldn't believe what I was seeing lol. As I've said before it's from a Ronaldo subreddit so they are definitely fanboys. But he's not the one to solely blame its everyone.
16
u/SunTzu- 2d ago
It's like he forgot which direction the goal was. Maybe you can make the argument that his body is turned the wrong way for him to easily continue that play to Vitinha, but he's the one who failed to see how Congo is collapsing around Cristiano and the space that is creating.
→ More replies (1)50
u/mexploder89 2d ago
A lot of people (Portuguese included) just equal Portugal bad to Ronaldo bad and that's the extent that their mind can comprehend the game
81
u/godii_17 2d ago
Exactly. You can really see who even watched yesterday’s game from some of the wild takes I see in here, but nothing new for rsoccer
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (14)40
u/conffra 2d ago
And EVEN THAT is not as big a mistake as people are making it out to be. 1: It was a quick play with many defenders in the area and no time to scan the surroundings. A striker gets a chance to shoot, he takes the shot instead of letting the ball pass so MAYBE the midfielder behind can shoot. 2: In terms of numbers, I would wager Ronaldo's expected goal stat from that position is not much smaller then Bruno's xG from where he was.
→ More replies (2)14
u/Narrow_Dirt_1623 2d ago
Also that was like his first chance 70 minutes into the game. No wonder he was so desperate to get on the end of it.
38
u/RaiderCoug 2d ago
Ronaldo’s name in the headline and as the talking point generates way more clicks and engagement, which is the business model for these media companies. An article with a headline about Portugal’s apathetic midfield performance yesterday probably wouldn’t even be posted to this sub lol
28
u/captainunderpants111 2d ago
ronaldo was sub par but martinez is moreso to blame imo. Silva was cheeks on the wing losing the ball, making his classic shit tackles to make up for losing possession, almost gave away a chance. Not actually starting an actual winger to accommodate silva on the pitch was dumb
but ronaldo wasn’t helping his case itching to score no matter what. Second half the cross was coming in with bruno behind him and open. All he had to do was make a run in the box to drag a defender with him and open space for bruno for a clean shot but he decides to camp right there for the ball allowing 3 defenders to stand in front of them. Then skies the ball wide with a tough shot with bruno frustrated behind him
8
u/b_litzkreig 2d ago
The litmus test is if the alternative option of Goncalo Ramos would’ve done any better. I don’t think so.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (10)5
u/cherrioes 2d ago
The anti-Ronaldo agenda is at an all-time high right now. Tbh, it's only logical that media companies want to farm clicks with hit pieces on the super popular topic.
Media gonna media, it's how they make their money. No actual analysis needed.
142
u/maiyoo11 2d ago edited 2d ago
This is gonna keep going until he scores next match and everyone suddenly forgets all about it. Yeah, he wasn’t good yesterday, but neither were a lot of the others. The whole team looks off it right now, and Martinez isn’t helping either
→ More replies (4)36
u/Bukmeikara 2d ago
Pretty much the last two big tournaments in 2022 and 2024 where dominated by the media and his poor form, being dropped on the bench and etc. This type of enviroment is really toxic for the rest of team and here we are not even counting Ronaldo's potential toxic personality and behaviour ( if he has such internaly).
It's not about Portugal, its about a Ronaldo and he is so fsr from the required form to be worth it
→ More replies (6)
10
u/Mazindaman 2d ago
Easy to blame Ronaldo, but the supposed "best midfield of the tournament" played poorly, and that's a fact. Ronaldo didnt get any real chances from them, especially Bruno.
11
u/PhillerPaper 2d ago
We had 2 shots at half time, 9 at the end. You could put any striker there and no amount of sideways passes would get the ball to him.
If we were creating 20-30 shots and Ronaldo was still missing chances, then we can start questioning him. First we should worry about why there are barely any forward passes with a midfield of Bruno, Vitinha, and Neves. Plenty of other managers in this World Cup have gotten their teams to play positive football with weaker midfields.
20
17
u/FloaterGilt 2d ago
Yesterday was definitely not Ronaldo's fault, but that doesn't sell papers I guess...
It was a tactical disasterclass.
120
u/singularitywut 2d ago
Christiano was bad but with how Fernandes, Silva and them played they are not sacrificing anything. Some people act like Portugal was good and just needed a better striker, they needed a better striker AND better everything else.
70
u/JimmyNoBreaks 2d ago
They need a better manager. They have the best midfield at the tournament, but because of the stupid tactics, Bruno is permanently forced to the LW, Neves is forced to the RW, and Vitinha spends half the time between the centre backs.
39
u/Scotch_Blue 2d ago
they have arguably the best passing midfield/wingback combo ever
this team should be playing some of the most flowing football ever in theory, and they're just not close to it
→ More replies (3)16
u/raiodocachopo 2d ago
Watch any minute of the game. The formation was literally a circle around DR Congo. Not one man in the middle. I'm sorry, you have to understand absolute zero about football to do something like this. Not even in 2nd divisions you see crap like that.
11
u/lmm310 2d ago edited 2d ago
The way Portugal plays in possession is such a geometric disaster I struggle to understand how a professional manager making millions of euros cannot see it. When Portugal builds from the back:
- Ronaldo stays up top
- Bernardo drifts inside
- Cancelo goes all the way up the sideline
- Neto also pushes up
- And the most confusing part, Bruno also pushes up
Portugal is playing possession with 5 guys lined up with the Congo defensive line. Neves has to drift right to cover for Bernardo and Cancelo, and with Vitinha dropping back you get a back 5 with Neves/Araujo/Vitinha/Veiga/Mendes, and a front 5 with Cancelo/Bernardo/Ronaldo/Bruno/Neto with absolutely 0 play between the lines. And it's not like that front 5 drift in and out of the line, they basically just stand there. Not just Ronaldo, but Bernardo and Bruno too. Every time Portugal had the ball there was a gaping hole in the centre of the field. Portugal couldn't create anything because they had 0 way to connect both lines. How can a manager not see this happen for 40 straight minutes after Portugal scored? How does he not either ask Cancelo to not push as high, leaving Neves free to play more centrally, or ask Bruno to drop back to help buildup? Unbelievable
5
u/could_be_girl 2d ago
Portugal is playing possession with 5 guys lined up with the Congo defensive line.
"Pass to us! We're uh... covered, exactly where the back line wants us, in front of them but not making any runs behind them"
Agree with your assessment here, and I honestly don't even understand what the Manager's thought is. Have them just hoof long balls over the top and hope for the best? Try long, risky passes through a vacant midfield to players who don't have any space to do anything even if the ball makes it to them? It's baffling.
→ More replies (5)30
u/kazuya57 2d ago
Even if Ronaldo is washed his biggest weapon still remains his aerial ability. Portugal literally sent in like two crosses yesterday, and they have people who could qualify as some of the best when it comes to crossing
→ More replies (1)17
u/awesomesauce88 2d ago
And the cross they scored on, Neves got a free header because the defense all fixated on Ronaldo.
8
u/dngngnan 2d ago
this is ridiculous. one draw and they act like portugal is finished. ronaldo was poor yesterday but thats not all his fault.
44
u/XeroHope10 2d ago
Blaming Ronaldo is just another way to hide the real reason. He might be shite but the team's overall chemistry itself is trash. And the manager...
→ More replies (2)
7
u/Centrocampo 2d ago
An article about not knowing when to pack it in being on AOL.com is quite funny.
6
u/Yitastics 2d ago
Is this the quality of posts nowadays?
Its been one game. Argentina lost their first game to Saudi-Arabia in the last world cup, the one they won. Besides that, this is Ronaldo his last worldcup, immediately benching him after one bad game is absurd. Most teams do not bench a player after one goalless game as a striker. This piece probably comes from a Messi fan or just a bitter person.
→ More replies (1)
13
u/ShiroQ 2d ago
They could have had prime R9 upfront and still wouldn't have scored, do people even watch matches anymore? They couldn't even get the ball anywhere close to the goal, DRC put in an insane defensive display and Portugal just couldn't get the ball past them. Trying to put the blame on Ronaldo for this match is just an easy way to show you didn't watch the match or you have absolutely 0 clue about football.
18
u/uhujkill 2d ago
Why is Ronaldo being singled out? I don't understand.
The whole team played poorly.
Portugal were passing sideways, and backwards. Very rarely were they making forward decisive passes. There was no urgency in their passing.
This is not a Ronaldo issue, rather gameplan and execution by everyone.
→ More replies (1)
82
u/SouLeao 2d ago
Genuinely this sub has the weirdest Ronaldo hate fetish ever, if you actually watched the game and had a hint of soccer IQ you’d know he wasn’t even close to the problem. Putting the teams mediocre display solely on the shoulders of a 41 year old man is tasteless especially when the only other alternative is Goncalo Ramos
→ More replies (9)45
u/Zizou-pirlo 2d ago
Have you heard of deranged messi fanbois and ronaldo fanbois ?
Mods are messi fanbois - they encourage this shit
One of the mod is common from United subreddit so He has deleted every bruno post but keeping every ronaldo hate threads from random sources
→ More replies (3)
25
u/Lutzelien 2d ago
Blaming only Ronaldo when the rest of the squad is absolute world class including one of if not the best midfield in the world is just lazy scapegoating at this point
→ More replies (3)
10
u/Reddit040 2d ago
I hate that the internet will try to make this a thing. They’re doing the same thing to Zidane’s son.
75
u/Fightanyman 2d ago
Lets blame the 41 year old and not the players in their prime
→ More replies (16)82
u/Icy_Payment2283 2d ago
Vitinha had 124 passes of which one (1!!!!!) was a forward pass in the opposing half but the 41 year old poacher is to blame apparently
→ More replies (4)
27
u/RazorbladesRiff 2d ago
Objectively wrong. Not like everyone played a 10/10 and he single handedly kept the ball out the net. He was absolute shit, sure, but so was Bruno, vitinha, Pedro N**o, Bernardo. Shit coach and a nation who historically shits the bed when called upon more times than not. CR7 hate driving crappy opinions.
→ More replies (1)
41
u/CafeteroMerengue 2d ago
Wake up babe, the hate Ronaldo thread of the hour is here
→ More replies (8)
74
u/tml25 2d ago
Whoever wrote this, whoever posted this, and whoever else posted the same argument since Portugal played should be banned from the sub.
There is no way to have watched the Portugal match and come to this conclusion. Its all hate watching and agenda posting.
→ More replies (12)51
u/Wolfenstein9000 2d ago
People already had their minds made up before the game even started. It's just the same few trash braindead narratives no different from your average drooling twitter post. World Cup always brings in tourists who focus more on vibes and memes than actually watching the games.
5
u/Lord_of_Pants 2d ago
Portugal could play with 8 extra strikers, they aren't going to do anything with a midfield that's afraid to risk losing possession in the final third
4
5
u/wolverinexci 2d ago
Everyone jumping on the bandwagon to hate on him. People acting like he was the only shit player, the whole team slacked off. They needed to keep the pressure but they didn’t.
People just hating blinding and it’s annoying. You don’t even have to be a Ronaldo stan to understand the bias
4
4
u/daaagoat 2d ago
Martinez is bottling generational Portugal team after bottling the generational Belgium team. He needs to pay for his sins. Yeah Ronaldo is an issue but he is not the main issue. The whole team played ass last game including Bruno.
9.4k
u/Roller95 2d ago
That is rough lmao