Ronaldo does not have the ability for them to play through him, he is a point man.
It’s like saying they should play through Haaland, Haaland does not have the ability to do those things.
This is false comparison.
Messi can dribble, can assist, can score, can make crazy passes, can actually play, and that’s why it’s easy to play through him.
@Jovie899r@tobyasky It doesn’t really work like that when it’s the first match of the tournament. Hardly does the team matter.
Why did Argentina/Portugal field their best players when they played small teams?
Cristiano Ronaldo is goalless in his last 10 Portugal games at major tournaments:
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩:
❌ vs. Uruguay
❌ vs. South Korea
❌ vs. Switzerland
❌ vs. Morocco
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐬:
❌ vs. Czechia
❌ vs. Türkiye
❌ vs. Georgia
❌ vs. Slovenia
❌ vs. France
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩:
❌ vs. Congo DR
Credit to Thomas Tuchel.
For the first time, nobody is shouting, “Palmer should start”
“Trent should start”
“Foden should start”
Everybody in this squad knows thier place. Tuchel is the boss, and nobody is indispensable.
Just like Saka on the bench, or Guehi on the bench. He’s brought that peace.
Secondly, people were probably expecting the usual 1-0 type of game that England usually gives us in tournaments, or the games where they struggle. They played free-flowing football. They looked dangerous.
Credit to the manager.