LISBON (PORTUGAL) (ITALPRESS) – “The future of the head coach is not important. What matters is the World Cup. The World Cup cannot wait, the coach’s future can, and it can be discussed after the tournament. The president and I are aligned; the focus is the World Cup.” Roberto Martinez, Portugal’s head coach, is open to renewing his contract, which expires at the end of the World Cup, but has postponed any discussion until after the tournament.
“It’s not a taboo subject, but right now we are focused on doing everything possible to prepare our national team for the World Cup. That is the focus,” Martinez insisted, showing no concern that Cristiano Ronaldo might be influenced by the pursuit of his 1,000th goal.
“There have been matches where Cristiano was in front of goal and looked to his teammates. A striker is not only there to score goals, but to make the right decisions inside the box. Assists are more important than goals. We are talking about a striker who has scored 25 goals in 30 matches, but I value his behavior inside the penalty area much more. And Cristiano does not have the obsession people talk about externally—at least not with the national team,” the Spanish coach assured.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
