After officially announcing the roster for October's international day, Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez held a press conference to explain in detail the selection criteria for the roster as well as the team's preparations for the tournament.
Martinez began by explaining the reasons for choosing Ricardo Vellho and Samu Costa. He pointed out that Ricardo Vellho has been playing at a good level thanks to his professionalism, dedication and hard work, and therefore deserved to be called up. Samu Costa, on the other hand, has been on the team's radar for a long time because of his outstanding performances at U21 level, as well as his tactical intelligence and left-footed dominance in the midfield position, and this selection is a recognition of his potential.
In response to the 72-hour gap between the two games, Martinez said that he will be taking 26 players to the away games as a way to keep the players fresh and competitive in training to be well prepared for the games. He mentioned that with such a tight schedule, it doesn't make sense to call up players after the first game, so 26 players gives the team more flexibility in preparing for the game.
Responding to the non-selection of Thiago Santos and Giovanni Kunda, Martinez said that the two players are at a very interesting stage of development and that they need to gain experience at U21 level and in the Europa League. While there are many positives to take from their performances in September, more time and opportunities are needed to prove themselves.
Speaking about the call-up situation of Tomas Araujo, Martinez said that Tomas is being evaluated and while he has had a great start to the season, the team doesn't want to rush things. He believes that Thomas could have an important learning experience with the U21 national youth team, while Antonio Silva, although young, can bring experience to the team and thus be a deciding factor in the selection.
Martinez also spoke about the renewal of the team. He said that the team now has more young players who are coming into their own and they bring a different kind of enthusiasm and energy that favors the competitiveness of the national team's locker room. He sees this as an opportunity to experiment and observe new players in order to build the final squad for the World Cup.
Commenting on the performance of other Portuguese teams, Martinez expressed his pride in Portuguese soccer. In particular, he praised the performances of teams such as Benfica, Porto and Sporting de Portugal, saying that they all showed a high level of performance.
On the issue of Daniel Braganza's non-selection, Martinez said that Daniel is always in the spotlight, he is a smart and strong player, but this time he was not selected because other players were more superior. He emphasized that the door to the national team is always open and that players who are growing have the opportunity to be selected.
Speaking about the Bruno Fernandes situation, Martinez said that Bruno is a focused and experienced player who knows that this is part of the game. He believes that Bruno's second consecutive sending off was an unfair penalty, but believes that he will be able to adjust his form.
Regarding the choice of striker position, Martinez said that Cristiano and Jota are the most stable choices, but is keeping an eye on the performance of other players. He believes that young players such as Fabio Silva have a lot of potential, but two wingers will be enough in this camp.
Lastly, Martinez also spoke about the match against Poland
team's views and the preparation of players such as Renato Vega and Trincom. He stated that Poland
The team is a team with a clear philosophy and a lot of good players, but the team is also confident of meeting the challenges. For players such as Renato Vega and Trincom, he believes that they all have a lot of potential but still need to improve themselves through training and games. Meanwhile, he also revealed the injury status of Gonzalo Inacio and Gonçalves and said that the team will decide on their participation based on the assessment of the medical department.
