This Thursday, Fernando Santos showed his conviction that the national team will defeat Belgium and advance to the Euro 2020 quarterfinals, stressing that “the finals are not played, they are won”.
“I am of the same belief, otherwise I would immediately take my bags to Seville so that if something goes wrong, I would go home. I hope to be back home in a while. The conviction is the same. ” , began with a statement by the national coach at a press conference in Budapest.
Portugal drew France in Group F on Wednesday and ended Phase 1 as one of the top four runners-up in Euro 2020, qualifying for the round of 16, in which they will face Belgium on Sunday in Seville.
“This is a team with great mutual knowledge, players who have played together for a long time. It happens very naturally, automatically. They can play in 3x4x3 format, projecting five players forward, but also in 3x4x1x2 format, with a player moving in this inner space, and that sometimes it is De Bruyne, sometimes [Eden] Danger. This situation will force us to a different attention and analysis. They like to go outside and play and often try to attack in depth using Lukaku or Meunier on the right, ”he said.
Despite the strength of the Belgians, Fernando Santos left a reservation: “This is a team that has its own arguments, for some reason it is the first in the FIFA rating, but it has weaknesses and the match with Denmark. [2-1] showed it. “
For a coach, the “European Championship” is “a very difficult competition, different from all the others,” and now it will enter a decisive phase that needs to be eliminated.
“Now enter the phase where [Luiz Felipe] Scolari called it a knockout. And it is right. As president, I said many years ago that the final is now, and the final has not been played, but won. And that is what we are going to do, ”he said, referring to Pinto da Costa, the manager of FC Porto.
Otherwise, Fernando Santos believed that “to win at this level, you need to play well.”
“With a set of commands that are hereif you don’t play well, chances are you will lose or, at best, draw. A good game is good defense, good attack, good transition, with dead balls, the opponent does not score goals, but we score them. It’s good for me, “he concluded.
Portugal and Belgium will play in the 1/8 finals of Euro 2020 on Sunday from 20:00 at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville.
