Chris Sutton criticized Roberto Martinez's attitude towards Ronaldo
Portugal's national team head coach Roberto Martinez has come under sharp criticism ahead of the team's next important match, Zamin.uz reports.
Former Premier League striker and well-known football expert Chris Sutton criticized the coach's tactics built around Cristiano Ronaldo, calling it an outdated approach. According to the specialist, the team's leadership is limiting the potential of young and talented players, focusing all attention on the 41-year-old star.
As reported by Goal.com, Ronaldo's constant movement on the field and the coach's reluctance to substitute him are causing serious problems. In an interview with BBC, Sutton evaluated this approach as a dead end.
According to him, despite having many skilled performers in the squad, the team's overall play is deteriorating due to Ronaldo's constant presence on the field. In Sutton's view, no matter how great an athlete Ronaldo is, his permanent positioning in central attack negatively affects the team's overall dynamics and attacking speed.
This is seen as one of the key factors holding back the team's development and pushing it backward. Portugal's bench includes players like Diogo Jota, Gonçalo Ramos, and Rafael Leão — high-speed attackers who meet modern football demands.
However, coach Roberto Martinez continues to entrust the main role to the experienced footballer. This situation, experts say, could create difficulties in breaking down opponent defenses.
Despite this, experts remain optimistic about Portugal's chances in the upcoming match. It is expected that the Croatian national team, also facing issues due to squad aging, will provide an opportunity for the Portuguese.
Interestingly, despite all his criticism, Chris Sutton predicted a narrow victory for Portugal. In his opinion, it is precisely Cristiano Ronaldo who could score the lone and decisive goal in the match, answering all doubts.
This could well turn out to be one of those unexpected scenarios in football. The upcoming match will not only decide which team advances to the next stage but will also test in practice how correct Roberto Martinez's chosen tactical direction really is.
