Roberto Martinez’s crazy ideas machine has made Portugal fun but flawed
By Tim Spiers
Follow live coverage of England vs Denmark, Spain vs Italyand Slovenia vs Serbiaat Euro 2024 today
Three full-backs in the XI, two strikers with one of them playing on the left wing, Joao Cancelodrifting into half spaces as a floating No 10, Bruno Fernandesin defensive midfield, and six forwards on the pitch at full time.
Welcome to Roberto Martinez’s crazy ideas machine.
Want more? Thrilling young left-back Nuno Mendesplaying centre-back for Portugalfor the first time in a major tournament opener, a 3-5-2 formation that was as fluid as a reservoir (or as random as the lottery numbers), and then, in the desperate final knockings, probably the 26th man of a 26-man squad somehow gets the winner in stoppage time.
We could go on, but you get the idea — Portugal under Martinezare what you might call crazy fun, with the emphasis on crazy.
That’s probably being harsh on Martinez. His team beat Czech Republic 2-1in a game they looked like losing and two of his subs were involved in the winner. Inventiveness and bold ideas should be applauded and, after all, this is part of what he was hired to do; be the antidote to the pragmatism and predictable tactics of his predecessor, Fernando Santos.
It’s just that if the Spaniard didn’t know his best XI or formation before this game — and 13 changes between his three warm-up games as well as enlisting two very different formations suggested he didn’t — then he’s not exactly any the wiser now.
“If Portugal had two teams, the second would also be a candidate to win the Euros,” Jose Mourinho said last week.
Strength in depth is obviously a good thing, particularly if and when injuries and suspensions begin to pile up, but with only two players missing for this tournament (Bayern Munich left-back Raphael Guerreiro and Al Nassr midfielder Otavio, neither of whom would probably have started), it has looked in recent weeks like Martinez has almost too many ingredients with which to find a coherent XI and a consistent winning formula. He’s cooking beans on toast with saffron and caviar.
The XI that starts an international tournament is seldom the one that ends it, even (or especially) among the winners — and the 2022 World Cup winners, Argentina, lost their opening game to Saudi Arabia — but at this early stage, you feel Martinez is doing far more than simply fine-tuning.
Against the Czech Republic, it looked complicated.
Such as, for example, Mendes, who turned 22 today (Wednesday), in a left centre-back position but pushing out to the wing and Cancelo in his weird hybrid floating/inverted role, which never really clicked. Cancelo’s average position was just alongside Vitinhain a central area (below), but he offered little in an attacking sense (one shot, one take on) or a defensive sense (no tackles, no interceptions).
He was floating in every which way, a spare man when a conventional attacker would have been more useful given how the game panned out as attack vs defence for the most part.
“We wanted to have Joao Cancelo play a horizontal line,” Martinez explained of the Manchester Cityplayer’s inverted wing-back role. “We wanted an extra man with Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha,” he added of Cancelo’s positioning when surely those three inventive players were enough.
“We wanted Nuno Mendes to come upfield and occupy space with Rafael Leao,” he said of the left side, which is fine in theory but both players ended up hugging the touchline.
“We had 70 per cent possession, we had 13 corners, Czech Republic had none, we had eight shots on target, Czech Republic had one, we won the game because the group is united. Tactically and technically speaking, it was a very good match.”
Martinez has talked a good game throughout his career and, as always, you came away from his press conference now believing you had just witnessed the greatest football team ever to set foot on a pitch.
In reality, Portugal, reduced to crosses and long shots by the second half, were indebted to a fortunate own goal for an equaliser and then some poor defending to allow Francisco Conceicaoto score a late, late winner.
It was certainly not just Cancelo who was oddly positioned; Fernandes blew fire through Portugal in qualifying with six goals and eight assists in an advanced central role, often ahead of Joao Palhinha, one of the Premier League’s best defensive midfielders, who did the dirty work. Yet here, Fernandes was Portugal’s deepest midfielder (below).
And then Bernardo Silva (who has now played 14 games at Euros or World Cups without registering a goal or an assist) was sometimes playing off the last man, particularly in the first half.
Odd. And unbalanced.
Such are the riches at Martinez’s disposal, he made five substitutions, but Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat-trick in the World Cup and ended the season with eight goals in 14 games for PSG, didn’t get a kick. Neither did the new golden boy, Joao Neves, nor the old golden boy, Joao Felix, nor Palhinha or Ruben Neves.
Yet, Portugal won, they’ll probably coast through what looks like a straightforward group, and yes, Martinez does look to have fostered team spirit within the squad.
If he learns lessons, Portugal will be better off for this as they plot a route to Berlin. Lessons such as them looking so much more balanced when Diogo Jotatook to the field as a proper second striker and Cancelo moved to the right. The Czech Republic were the highest-ranked team (36th) Portugal have played in a competitive match under Martinez, so they will clearly need to improve, but then not every team will sit as deep as the Czechs.
There were nice stories here, too. Vitinha continued his rise to prominence with a briskly busy midfield performance. Pedro Netoendured an injury-ravaged season at Wolves, only returned for the final game of the campaign after a hamstring injury, and it was his low cross that led to the winner.
Conceicao, son of Sergio, scored that winner and they became only the second father/son duo to score in Euros history, alongside Enrico and Federico Chiesa. You could see just how much it meant to both players and it was a beautiful moment.
Perhaps we should just embrace the chaos. Portugal, so often rightly accused of being too predictable and defensive under Santos, have now gone completely the other way. It’s why Martinez was hired.
And perhaps his greatest trick? He has distracted us all from talking about some bloke called Cristiano.
Roberto, let’s take it all back — you’re a genius.
Roberto Martinez’s crazy ideas machine has made Portugal fun but flawed
By Tim Spiers
Follow live coverage of England vs Denmark, Spain vs Italyand Slovenia vs Serbiaat Euro 2024 today
Three full-backs in the XI, two strikers with one of them playing on the left wing, Joao Cancelodrifting into half spaces as a floating No 10, Bruno Fernandesin defensive midfield, and six forwards on the pitch at full time.
Welcome to Roberto Martinez’s crazy ideas machine.
Want more? Thrilling young left-back Nuno Mendesplaying centre-back for Portugalfor the first time in a major tournament opener, a 3-5-2 formation that was as fluid as a reservoir (or as random as the lottery numbers), and then, in the desperate final knockings, probably the 26th man of a 26-man squad somehow gets the winner in stoppage time.
We could go on, but you get the idea — Portugal under Martinezare what you might call crazy fun, with the emphasis on crazy.
That’s probably being harsh on Martinez. His team beat Czech Republic 2-1in a game they looked like losing and two of his subs were involved in the winner. Inventiveness and bold ideas should be applauded and, after all, this is part of what he was hired to do; be the antidote to the pragmatism and predictable tactics of his predecessor, Fernando Santos.
It’s just that if the Spaniard didn’t know his best XI or formation before this game — and 13 changes between his three warm-up games as well as enlisting two very different formations suggested he didn’t — then he’s not exactly any the wiser now.
“If Portugal had two teams, the second would also be a candidate to win the Euros,” Jose Mourinho said last week.
Strength in depth is obviously a good thing, particularly if and when injuries and suspensions begin to pile up, but with only two players missing for this tournament (Bayern Munich left-back Raphael Guerreiro and Al Nassr midfielder Otavio, neither of whom would probably have started), it has looked in recent weeks like Martinez has almost too many ingredients with which to find a coherent XI and a consistent winning formula. He’s cooking beans on toast with saffron and caviar.
The XI that starts an international tournament is seldom the one that ends it, even (or especially) among the winners — and the 2022 World Cup winners, Argentina, lost their opening game to Saudi Arabia — but at this early stage, you feel Martinez is doing far more than simply fine-tuning.
Against the Czech Republic, it looked complicated.
Such as, for example, Mendes, who turned 22 today (Wednesday), in a left centre-back position but pushing out to the wing and Cancelo in his weird hybrid floating/inverted role, which never really clicked. Cancelo’s average position was just alongside Vitinhain a central area (below), but he offered little in an attacking sense (one shot, one take on) or a defensive sense (no tackles, no interceptions).
He was floating in every which way, a spare man when a conventional attacker would have been more useful given how the game panned out as attack vs defence for the most part.
“We wanted to have Joao Cancelo play a horizontal line,” Martinez explained of the Manchester Cityplayer’s inverted wing-back role. “We wanted an extra man with Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha,” he added of Cancelo’s positioning when surely those three inventive players were enough.
“We wanted Nuno Mendes to come upfield and occupy space with Rafael Leao,” he said of the left side, which is fine in theory but both players ended up hugging the touchline.
“We had 70 per cent possession, we had 13 corners, Czech Republic had none, we had eight shots on target, Czech Republic had one, we won the game because the group is united. Tactically and technically speaking, it was a very good match.”
Martinez has talked a good game throughout his career and, as always, you came away from his press conference now believing you had just witnessed the greatest football team ever to set foot on a pitch.
In reality, Portugal, reduced to crosses and long shots by the second half, were indebted to a fortunate own goal for an equaliser and then some poor defending to allow Francisco Conceicaoto score a late, late winner.
It was certainly not just Cancelo who was oddly positioned; Fernandes blew fire through Portugal in qualifying with six goals and eight assists in an advanced central role, often ahead of Joao Palhinha, one of the Premier League’s best defensive midfielders, who did the dirty work. Yet here, Fernandes was Portugal’s deepest midfielder (below).
And then Bernardo Silva (who has now played 14 games at Euros or World Cups without registering a goal or an assist) was sometimes playing off the last man, particularly in the first half.
Odd. And unbalanced.
Such are the riches at Martinez’s disposal, he made five substitutions, but Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat-trick in the World Cup and ended the season with eight goals in 14 games for PSG, didn’t get a kick. Neither did the new golden boy, Joao Neves, nor the old golden boy, Joao Felix, nor Palhinha or Ruben Neves.
Yet, Portugal won, they’ll probably coast through what looks like a straightforward group, and yes, Martinez does look to have fostered team spirit within the squad.
If he learns lessons, Portugal will be better off for this as they plot a route to Berlin. Lessons such as them looking so much more balanced when Diogo Jotatook to the field as a proper second striker and Cancelo moved to the right. The Czech Republic were the highest-ranked team (36th) Portugal have played in a competitive match under Martinez, so they will clearly need to improve, but then not every team will sit as deep as the Czechs.
There were nice stories here, too. Vitinha continued his rise to prominence with a briskly busy midfield performance. Pedro Netoendured an injury-ravaged season at Wolves, only returned for the final game of the campaign after a hamstring injury, and it was his low cross that led to the winner.
Conceicao, son of Sergio, scored that winner and they became only the second father/son duo to score in Euros history, alongside Enrico and Federico Chiesa. You could see just how much it meant to both players and it was a beautiful moment.
Perhaps we should just embrace the chaos. Portugal, so often rightly accused of being too predictable and defensive under Santos, have now gone completely the other way. It’s why Martinez was hired.
And perhaps his greatest trick? He has distracted us all from talking about some bloke called Cristiano.
Roberto, let’s take it all back — you’re a genius.