Martinez: When Cristiano Ronaldo scores a goal, he asks what will happen without him, and when he is absent from the team and wins, he asks who needs him.

Hupu News November 17th: In the World Cup European Qualifiers, Portugal swept Armenia 9-1. After the game, Portugal national team coach Roberto Martinez attended the press conference. He also talked about qualifying for the World Cup, the team's performance in Ronaldo's absence and other related topics.

- This win was the perfect response to the defeat against Ireland. How to extend this desire to win into the World Cup?

The players showed 100% concentration and commitment. In fact, we had already confirmed promotion at halftime. The real difficulty was to adjust the team's psychology - to eliminate the heaviness of "we must not lose". The team lacked decisiveness against Ireland before, but tonight we rebounded with a focused performance. During the ten-game winning streak leading up to the 2024 European Cup, the team was far from reaching its current maturity. It is these challenges that drive us to grow. After all, the national team training time is limited. The cohesion shown by the locker room in the face of adversity will be a valuable asset in our pursuit of the World Cup.

——How to summarize the journey of this qualifier?

Although promotion is guaranteed, we must reflect on why we failed to defeat Hungary and Ireland. We voluntarily gave up possession of the ball in the last 20 minutes against Hungary, and against Ireland we suffered my first defeat in 43 World Cup qualifying games as coach - this was not a technical or tactical problem, but a strategic imbalance caused by the desire to win. These experiences are just a wake-up call for preparations for the World Cup. We still lacked the toughness to win the championship at the 2024 European Cup, but the subsequent UEFA Nations League championship proved that the team has completed its transformation. What we have to do now is to inject the Portuguese spiritual power into the stadium and use talent and unity to hit the first World Cup in history.

We are at this stage now. We must prepare well for the World Cup. Our expectation is to go all out and embody the values ​​of the Portuguese people on the pitch. The national team has talent and we will try to win the World Cup. This has never been achieved, it’s not easy to do, and we have to work together. I would like to thank Hotel Porto for the support they gave us the day after the defeat to Ireland, it was a difficult time but the love helped us.

The criticism we received was unfair. Some facts were distorted and malicious opinions were not helpful to the national team. We should not have received such criticism after losing to Ireland. We ended up finishing first in the group and there was no need to count the points. For now, criticism can be put aside.

——How do you rate the performance of Joao Neves and Carlos Forbes?

There is quite a story about Neves's free kick - after training yesterday, it was Bruno Fernandez who coached him to take free throws. This goal reflects the positive atmosphere in the locker room.

And Forbes shows unique characteristics: strong impact, outstanding speed and ability to play on both wings. His appearance has filled the gap left by Pedro Neto's injury. Such a versatile player is rare in today’s football world.

——Does Ronaldo’s absence prove that other players can take on more?

We have 25 players with different characteristics. Ronaldo has always been the focus of public opinion - when he scored, people asked "what will happen without him", and when he was absent, the argument "who needs Ronaldo" appeared again. But the competitive level is completely different: Bruno Fernandez's leadership role, Ruben Dias and Bernardo's responsibilities jointly build diverse leadership. Nuno Mendes is the best left back in the world, and Neto is the hero of the UEFA Nations League championship - a deep lineup is the confidence we have without fear of personnel changes.

——How do you feel about being awarded the title of Honor by the President of the Republic?

Thank you, Mr. President and Prime Minister, for their recognition. The medal ceremony made me full of pride and convinced that I am fully prepared for the World Cup.

——Why arrange Ruben Neves as the central defender instead of Antonio Silva?

Our tactical system emphasizes versatility. Ruben's adduction can enrich the offensive level. This is the same logic as the absence of outstanding players such as Dalot and Palinha - the coaching staff needs to test tactical combinations against different opponents. This game's attempt to use the double midfielder of Joao Neves and Bruno, combined with Ruben's deep-lying organization, is the embodiment of this exploration.

——How to deal with the expectations of fans who still shout "one more goal" after a 9-goal victory?

This is never a burden at Dragon Stadium! The three promotions that the Portuguese team has completed here are all due to the magic of this stadium. The team is maintaining healthy growth, and its tactical flexibility has been polished since the first day of coaching. Preparations for the World Cup begin in March – and we know the real battle never begins when the opening whistle blows.