Portugal vs Croatia – Football Match Preview – September 5, 2024

September 4 (Reuters) – Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said on Wednesday he understood the criticism his team would face after Euro 2024, as expectations were high due to its talented squad.

As Portugal prepare to host Croatia in their Nations League opener on Thursday before welcoming Scotland in League A Group 1 on Sunday, Martinez said he had taken positives from their penalty shootout loss to France in the European Championship quarter-finals and that his team had grown stronger through the experience.

“Criticism is part of the demands we will always make. But the internal demands are even stronger than the demands of the fans,” Martinez said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“We always want to win, but the big tournaments feature the best players in the world, so games are decided by details. The detail is often a penalty, where the ball goes in or out.”

“We showed character, we controlled the game against France and we grew a lot as a team. The group was ready to play two more games, but we were very happy with our character. We did very well in many aspects.”

Martinez said his players were experienced enough to handle the pressure and put the heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat behind them after a goalless draw, the quintessence of Portugal's disappointing season in which they struggled to be effective in attack.

The Spanish coach said his main focus was on building his team around the attack and that fans could expect a more aggressive team than in Germany.

“We are looking forward to being back on the pitch. (The fans) can expect a Portuguese team full of energy and ambition, playing attacking football,” said Martinez.

“We want to play offensively and tomorrow we have an interesting test ahead of us because Croatia is a team that likes to have the ball. There will be two teams fighting for the ball.”

“Portugal will be very ambitious and eager to get back on the pitch. We want to make our fans happy again. I know the abilities of my players, but their personality and attitude are incredible.” (Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Toby Davis)