FULL REACTION to Portugal's loss to Croatia: 'I am VERY surprised' - Julien Laurens | ESPN FC

Croatia go on to win 2 to one at Portugal's National Stadium Portugal still with a game to go one more friendly before the tournament starts next week this was the last friendly for Croatia for more on this one let's welcome into the show our good friend and colleague uh Julian lonel good to have you with us if it wasn't for the Portuguese goalie Costa had a couple big saves here Portugal could have lost by quite a bit more how surprised were you by the result in the performance today from Portugal I'm very surprised almost as as much by how good Croatia were to be fair because we look at the squad it's the same Squad than it was 12 years ago almost it's the same key players again and yeah they do well they keep doing well and they keep overachieving maybe sometimes but maybe for this tournament we thought okay surely not this time and yet today I thought they were outstanding from start to finish what was for Portugal it was the other way when we expected them to just raise the level because Croatia are better team than Finland for example who they beat 5 days ago it was not the case to told that first half was absolutely terrible and for what was probably okay you put Cristiano in instead of Gonzalo Ramos but the rest could very likely be the starting 11 for Portugal in the Euros so a lot of things to ponder really for Roberto Martinez a lot of things that didn't work at all Rafel made a difference to be fair when he came on but even that second half despite the goal that we showed to make it 1-1 after that it was all Croatian and like you said it could easily have been in the end 4-1 to Croatia uh we saw it yesterday with England a concerning result just before a major tournament obviously we're going to make um a lot about it when you look at this Portugal team is it fair to raise some Panic alarms after that performance Panic alarms no I listen Portugal com into this tournament we fourth or fifth favorites just about even with Spain in terms of that fourth and fifth position um with with good reason because of of their performances in the Nations all their performances and building up to this now I I'll Echo what was said yesterday about the England result it's it's the these are warm up games you you stretch your legs you get to get to know each other these count for absolutely nothing it's great if you win but I I don't think it it's that damaging if if you don't to juules point is the bigger story here at Croatia who we kind of never really think about how the tournaments and they're always in the final yeah because you you're kind of waiting for that new generation of the Croatian player and we're sort of still stuck in the uh Mich generation and we're sort of like okay well uh who else is coming around and it doesn't feel like anybody's coming around or at the very least saying yeah no no no look we are part of this new group of players that is going to take Croatia to a different level or it's going to sort of get this momentum that we have had historically with this team and we're going to keep on going forward that doesn't seem to be happening but apparently that's not necessary just yet I do think that there is a ceiling to Croatia how high that ceiling is well it will depend depend on the performance individual performances of guys like Luca Modric and they're still depending on guys like karic and they're still depending on guys like anti buir is a guy who look serviceable player but it's not an elite Striker and yet he seems to be the guy who's going to score the goals for Croatia apparently so yeah surprising to see how good Croatia were and I suppose that we shouldn't be surprised as to how good they can potentially be in the tournament what I would say about Portugal though is that this is and I don't know whether this is a reflection on Portugal or actually it's a conversation much more so about Roberto Martinez he comes into this tournament with yet another team who should be achieving things who should be doing things who should be a threat to the tournament and we have more questions and we have answers and while I understand that it is a warm-up game that yes they're just looking to stretch their their legs and yes they're just trying to stay healthy ahead of the tournament but get there working I'm all with that I hear you I'm with you Shaq I just don't like the feeling of Portugal and I don't like the feeling of Portugal simply because I didn't like the feeling of Belgium either leading into the World Cup and that is a common threat with Roberto Martinez what has he done with this team to make it better to improve it is is that indeed the case is Roberto Martinez the right man for the job now he has to be let's see what he does with Portugal has to be better than what he did with Belgium hey Jules do you share some of Al's concerns here when it comes to Roberto Martinez being in charge of this Portuguese team yeah a little bit I think we have to considering what he did what didn't do with Belgium really and the the the glass ceiling that he hit every single time I think you have to look at this squad and it's an amazing Squad really pretty much everywhere there's a right balance between youth experience all of that but there's also big decisions to be made from Martinez you know do you play cristano on his own up front if you keep the 433 that we saw today and that Martinez has played most of it or you can't play maybe a tournament like that with Cristiano on his own so do you go to up front do you P jot somewhere around him what do you do with Bernardo do you play him a bit deeper because in the buildup phase for example is interesting to have him there or you play him wide like today but wide it's not really his position unless you've got full control like he has at times of city and what do you do with Leo what do you do in Midfield with Bruno Fernandez with vtina with palia with Ruben NES so there's a lot of I think a bit like what Ali said a lot of questions and right now this spite they were perfect in qualifiers good for them but tonight they were far from perfect and I agree with Shaka to certain extent about we don't really care about friendlies like this I think when you are in the position of Roberto Martinez tonight had they won 3-0 with a really good performances it would have been much better for him than being there because he would have the same questions that we have as well and there's not that many days now before they start the tournament so a lot of questions then for Portugal probably none bigger than what to do what role will be for Cristiano Ronaldo at 39 years old obviously coming off a very productive season even though it was uh in Saudi Arabia let's hear from Roberto Martinez about the Portuguese [Music] [Music] Striker for [Music] here's a look at Cristiano Ronaldo's numbers over the past four seasons of course the last two in Saudi Arabia including a historic 23 24 campaign interesting to hear Roberto Martinez there not talking about necessarily onfield impact but dressing room impact from Cristiano Ronaldo that's not something something we've always connected with him is it um no I I I think certainly for Portugal you you can make that argument you only have to look back to 2016 when they won the tournament he goes on in the final and and I I think you you kind of saw some of his leadership during that final which you you kind of felt throughout the tournament that and and yes he was at the peak of his powers at at at that time but often often times he gives you he rubs the wrong way in terms of some of his remonstrations on the park but I've always felt it's very different from Portugal or with Port when he's very different with Portugal thought that kind of kind of shone through in in 2016 as I say so I I am happy to have Cristiano Ronaldo in my dressing room at the same time though if we only want to look back what 18 months ago I thought he was more particularly in terms of his his playing he was more liability than asset to Portugal during the 2022 World Cup he started out in most of the recent competitive games would you start him throughout this tournament if you're were Portugal uh well see that's that's a load of question throughout this tournament I'm not so sure that that would be my Approach I would go game by game if I'm Roberto Martinez and frankly if I'm Roberto Martinez when I took over this job my biggest decision was made right then and there in that moment in which I said yeah Cristiano Ronaldo is still around for this team because if I had gone and made what would have been the courageous and bra decision and say Cristiano we appreciate your efforts thank you very much but we're going to go in a different direction I think it would have freed Roberto Martinez to make more decisions and to actually explore what the possibilities of this team are going forward in the final third but now that you have chosen to keep Cristiano Ronaldo involved in the group then there's always this need or this demand or almost this obligation to at some point play Cristiano Ronaldo do you play him from the start does he come off the bench is he a problem coming off the bench is he an issue even though he says that it's not quite the case in the locker room does that become an issue does the president get on your back if you're not playing him you should play them and if you are playing them then why are you playing them this is a no- win situation but that's a no- win situation that you brought on yourself you Roberto Martinez because you did not make the decision at the very at the very beginning of your tener as a coach to say you know what I think we're better off without Cristiano Ronaldo and they may not be they may be better with Cristiano Ronaldo but if that's the case it's going to come down to the managerial decisions of Roberto Martinez when to use him when not to use him and how to use him to that point I'm not sure that Roberto Martinez is the manager or ever was the manager to to make that kind of a call because of some of the relative feelings shall shall we say given his his 10y Belgium that that both alien and Jew were just just speaking about he's not the man to come in and say Ronaldo you're no you're no longer part of part of my plans I think the backlash from somebody from like Ronaldo given the standing within Portugal from his fan base I'm not sure that Roberto Martinez has body of work to back that kind of a decision up Carlo ancelotti can come in and say Cristiano you're no longer part of my plans and everybody gets behind Carlo anelo but I just do not think that Roberto Martinez has that kind of a standing that kind of a CV behind him to make that big a call but fair enough Shaq but has that has that decision to keep Cristiano Ronaldo has that resolved problems for him or created more issues for him and that's I think the question here for Roberto Martinez okay fine you don't have the standing in the game or you didn't have the guts to make the decision whatever the case may be you thought the more comfortable and more straightforward decision would be Cristiano you play until you want to okay fair enough he's earned that right because he is Cristiano Ronaldo but man now you have to come up with Solutions and you have to come up with answers and what we have seen from Roberto Martinez at least at the National Team level is that those Solutions and those answers aren't always the correct ones Jules you and I were in qar Ronaldo started that tournament as the starter for Portugal he didn't finish the tournament as a starter how confident are you that that same situation isn't going to repeat itself this summer nobody knows really I think I agree with the boys maybe in might start and the good thing I guess for Portugal and crisano is that their group and like the Croatian group for example with Spain in Italy their group is good to St and to go from strength to strength you know Turkey Georgia and the Czech Republic for this Portugal team for Cristiano this this should be fine it's maybe later like in Qatar basically from the last 16 when you're going to face tougher opponents tougher defenses where he's 39 years old if you want to play high and press high he can't do it anymore I mean even today they tried against Croatia and they play through them so imagine if you replace gonzal Ros who runs who can press who can run who who's that kind of guy that kind of number nine who puts the effort in you replace him with Cristiano and you try to press no chance maybe again against Georgia that be fine but if you play against a better team that won't work so crisano might well start the tournament and then Cristiano might decide and then Roberto Martinez so he might decide well the last 16 we play I don't know a tougher team then for that game he's not suited if F Santos took the decision and Santos and Cristiano had a father and son relationship which I don't think Martinez and cristano would have right now if Fernando Santos was able and brave enough in a way I guess to drop Cristiano Martinez could do it of course even if Fernando Santos was obviously and I I think he he could feel it at the end of his tenure there very much so in Qatar for Roberto it's all starting so you would not want maybe to be at war with Cristiano a week in this tournament but at some point if that decision has to be made because it would be quite obvious if crisano is is good enough or not for those top games then he will have to make it otherwise they're not it's not going to work all right so as Jules mentioned there Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in group f for the upcoming European championships let's take a look back at their recent record in major tournaments quite a few disappointments in there since 2016 when they of course won it all what about the expectations for this time around has Shaka touched on they are right there depending on which odds maker you're talking to Fourth their fifth uh as far as the favorites go what don't maker are you talking to S Friday W whoever's got the more favorable odds I'm always looking at ESPN bet what are you talking about what are you talking about um I don't know I feel like this is kind of a boomer bus team do you think they're more likely to make it to semis and finals Al or to go out round to 16 or quarters the second really I I well I I don't know if I if you can infer that from what I have said about Roberto Martinez but I have dwindling faith in what Roberto Martinez can do with this team and when it comes down to making those big decisions I'm not quite sure because of the history and that we have seen from him big tournaments with teams that were just as talented if not more talented than Portugal what has happened in the past and so I lean on that and I think I don't know the other way to look at it is that maybe he has learned from those experiences and maybe in the in those moments he's going to have more clarity and is going to be able to make the big decisions in the big moments that are going to allow this team to really display the very best that they can display and the very best of their talents and if that's the case then Portugal should be at the semi-final level I'm just not quite sure that Roberto Martinez takes this team there I'm not quite sure that Cristiano Ronaldo takes this team there either I'm GNA say round of 16 quarterfinals and that's it for Portugal I'm going to say quarterfinals would you back them sh going to make the sem I'd say I'd say semis and and again and a lot depends on the draw and and there really isn't a whole lot between Portugal and Spain as as you mentioned and as as you saw in the graphic and and the truth is outside of that top four or five I'm not sure where the surprise is to displace to displace um this version of of of Portugal and and I I totally get with everything that that Ali is saying about Roberto Martinez uh and his ability to maybe manage some of those big games and and and bigger stars but I just feel in terms of in terms of the talent balance there's a top five and then there's everybody else Things Fall kindly for Portugal I I don't I don't see why they don't I if they don't make the semis that's a huge disappointment to Portugal in my mind Jules how far do you see the Portuguese going I agree I think for me semi-final and if they don't get there if they stop in before quarterfinal last 16 they would come out of the group of course but if he if he stops straight after that I think it's a massive failure really with this squad with the experience that they have with Cristiano still in the team even if he doesn't play much but the leadership and everything that he can bring to this dressing room and and lead by example in a way I think if they don't get to the last four everything else would be quite disappointment [Music]