PPortugal will face Germany this Sunday at 17:00 in the second round of the Euro 2020 group stage. To appreciate this confrontation Sports by the minute I started a conversation with Miguel Moreira, assistant coach of Bayer Leverkusen, who is well aware of the German mentality and the strengths of the team, which is still headed by Joachim Low (Hansi Flick will take care of the fate of the national team after the European one).

“I think this is a game without favorites. Portugal has managed to drastically close the gap with other great teams like Germany, Italy, Spain or France in recent years. For a long time there was a feeling that there was always something missing to match the biggest “sharks” of the Old Continent, and now it is not.… Since Euro 2016, under the command of Fernando Santos and with players of above average level, we have managed to raise the bar, “the Portuguese-German coach began with the words, who stressed that” Germany is in a phase of modernization. and which will close the cycle of Joachim Low, but will still have a very strong composition. “

Portugal, which has not defeated its German counterpart in 21 years: “History still matters and the psychological factor is also part of the game. We talk a lot about the past, and sometimes too much, but we also have to see that it has become more difficult to beat Portugal since 2016.“.

On the other hand, there is “Germany, which simply by name is already a candidate. For the way they prepare for this sporting event, and even for the self-esteem of the Germans, who always start with the motto of victory. “

Many believe Germany 2021 has more weaknesses than the 2014 World Champions, but Miguel Moreira disagrees. “It’s hard to say that Germany has more weaknesses than in 2014, because that year the Germans criticized Low’s choice and stressed that the coach put many players in bad shape. Historically, this has been a title won against Argentina and 7-1 against Brazil. , in the semifinals “.

“If you look at the current squad, you will see that four players have started in the Champions League final this year. [Gundogan, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner e Rudiger]one of whom scored the decisive goal [Kai Havertz]We also have a block of important players from Bayern Munich who won the last edition of the Champions League. We’re talking about athletes who always want to win and will never be happy if they don’t, regardless of whether they are two or 15 points behind their opponents. They get furious when they don’t win and always ask for more from their teammates.“said the Portuguese-German coach, who also lists two great Mannschaft figures.

“I would say that Kimmich is one of the greatest figures of this team.who plays not only as a defensive midfielder, but also sometimes as a right-back. He epitomizes Germany’s ambitions and is a key player in the center of midfield. He is also very tactically developed and does a great job with dead balls. Müller is also one of the leaders in this collection.… You could even say that these two players are the coach’s extra time on the team.“- said the assistant coach of Leverkusen, who believes that the German public opinion should have great respect for Portugal.

“They look at us with respect, but this is not the respect we deserve. There could and should be more. I remember when Portugal beat a European, the Germans and even the coach himself wondered how the national team achieved this achievement. Not only because of the way we play, but also because of the path to the finals with more approachable opponents. In Germany, Portugal continues to shrink to Cristiano Ronaldo. He is a global figure who continues to give him full attention. When the draw was over, the headlines were the same: Germany playing CR7. In this country, the breeder looks at Portugal with much more respect than public opinion. Here it is acceptable for Germany to qualify for the next stage, ahead of Portugal.“- said the 37-year-old coach.

Succession in Germany, Andre Silva and Renato Sanchez

Miguel Moreira was born in Germany, married to a German woman, has dual citizenship, and his professional career, almost his entire professional career, was spent on German soil as an assistant coach, first in Dortmund (under the age of 17 and under 19). levels), then jump over to Stuttgart and return to Signal Iduna Park again.

Meanwhile, he was in Genk, Belgium to complete his Leverkusen experience and keep his short-term future a secret. However, allowing to foresee that it will follow in Germany.

“I feel very good in this assistant role and this is where I can help the coaching team and the players. My strong point is languages ​​as I speak five fluently. [inglês, português, alemão, francês e espanhol]which helps a lot in communication between the players and the head coach, because it is not easy to work with the translators, because they do not know how to say football, ”said Miguel Moreira, describing some of the training rules in German soil.

“Here we pay great attention to the school curriculum, not least because few people reach a professional level. In terms of training, here in Germany they both play with three center-backs as well as a four-back line, so they work on different systems from the youth team. On a tactical level, this is a complete package, which is very different from what happens in Belgium, where children work on a 4-3-3 system. In Germany, they improve the technical part, the vision of the game, the foresight of the movements, as well as the mental part, ”he began with the explanation of the Portuguese-German coach, and then described how the Germans justify the failure.

“When you lose the game, it’s very easy to talk about a lack of commitment, struggle or dedication, because in Germany you work to be perfect and demand nothing less. In this country, they do not lose because of tactical problems, but because of problems with mentality or because the players did not give everything that they had.“, – stressed Miguel Moreira.

In this conversation, the Leverkusen coach also praised the transfer of some Portuguese players to the Bundesliga, namely Renato Sánchez, which ended in a gray.

“Each case is different and I don’t know if this is a common problem. Renato Sánchez came to Germany at the time at the age of 19 and it is not easy to get to Bayern and adapt to one of the best teams in the world. When a football player comes to this country so young, he has to overcome several obstacles, but I usually say that anyone who adapts to the Bundesliga can play in any league in the world. This is a very strong and very competitive championship. It’s not normal when the first one comes on the field last to win, it’s always a difficult game, because all teams are very technically advanced, ”said the coach, who, on the contrary, puts Andre Silva’s question on the table.

“The move to Frankfurt only happened because something went wrong at Milan and luckily he came here and had a fantastic season. He is a very good head player but also a good kicker, very strong in aerial duels and an assassin around. Without a doubt, he can play anywhere in the world, ”added Miguel Moreira, who leaves an incentive for the Portuguese national team player, who appears overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to starting the first eleventh national team.

“All players have to be ready to play, not least because we have to keep this in mind. Five years ago. our hero came from the bank. Eder was an incredible hero and his name went down in history because of the goal he scored in the final. André Silva can also be such a player: enter and solve the game… It’s not enough to have 10 good field players, you also need a bank. And Portugal has it. We cannot forget who we are, but we have all the conditions to keep the title. And I hope that Portugal will reach the Wembley final and win, ”he concluded.

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