Only Three Teams Stand Between Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal
Only three teams stand between Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal from achieving European glory. One of them is France. But unlike before, this Portuguese team is good and can hold its own. In contrast, France hasn’t done themselves any favours with scrappy, hard-fought wins so far at Euro 2024.
On paper, the French side poses a much more potent threat, with Kylian Mbapppe and Marcus Thuram being the focal points of the attack. N’Golo Kante is seemingly back to his old self and will mop up anything loose in midfield. The imperious William Saliba and Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano marshalled the defence.
On the other hand, Portugal has essentially stuck to the veteran experience of Pepe in defence, with Manchester City’s Ruben Dias as his partner. The fullback pairing is also established with Nuno Mendes and Joao Cancelo, with Cancelo delivering his best performance for his country in the win over Slovenia. The creative spark in the team comes from Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva with Rafael Leao offering pace and width to the team. And, of course, one man and one man only spearhead the attack – Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Battle Between Managers Roberto Martinez and Didier Deschamps
However, the key battle will be between managers Roberto Martinez and Didier Deschamps. The former has done decently well so far as Portuguese manager. Meanwhile, the latter is seemingly on his last legs as French manager, and fatigue has crept into his tactics.
Deschamps has looked out of ideas despite possessing one of the greatest squads ever seen in international football and with profundity. Underutilising Eduardo Camavinga is the most straightforward example, as Deschamps continues to pick Adrien Rabiot rather than the Real Madrid midfielder. Camavinga carries the ball far more effectively, debunking any rationale for Rabiot’s selection based on aerial prowess alone. However, the numbers indicate otherwise, with Rabiot winning only 66.7% of his aerial duels. This feeds into the more significant issue France has – defending aerially.
Things Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo Must do To Overcome France
What Portugal has going for them against France is that they will know they won’t have most of the ball and will have to create chaos in transition. Chaos is precisely what unsettles France and their inability to defend aerially. Portugal possesses unarguably the most incredible header of the ball in Cristiano Ronaldo. They also have incredible heights on the team, with Ronaldo, Pepe, Dias, and Joao Palhinha at least 6 feet 2 inches tall. Throwing Leao into the mix as well adds five tall players who excel in the air, with Ronaldo and Pepe posing extreme threats from corners and set pieces.
Moreover, France has liabilities regarding aerial defending, with Rabiot and Upamecano being the weak links. Upamecano has only won seven aerial duels this tournament. The Bayern defender’s tackles-won percentage is also not the greatest, as he’s only won 71.4% of his tackles.
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The Underlying Numbers of Saliba Make France’s Defence Even More Vulnerable
The underlying numbers of Saliba make France’s defence even more vulnerable. Upamecano hasn’t covered himself in glory aerially, but Saliba has been atrocious. The Arsenal defender won only 36.4% of his aerial duels this tournament—he’s also just won nine duels this entire tournament. Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez, France’s two other starting defenders, have been just as bad as Saliba regarding aerial defending. Portugal must capitalise on this.
This is where Bruno Fernandes and Joao Cancelo come into play. Fernandes ranks in the 95th percentile for successful crosses in this tournament, while Cancelo showed how good he can be on the ball against Slovenia. Fernandes and Bernardo Silva combined well in the first half against Slovenia, with the former hitting crosses for the first time and Ronaldo making darting runs into the box. What made this even more dangerous was Leao’s runs from the blind side, attacking the back post.
With all that said, the stage is set for Cristiano Ronaldo. Much hue and cry has been made about his performances for Portugal at Euro 2024, especially after the rollercoaster of emotions against Slovenia. His teammates carried him (literally and figuratively) in the last game. But the time finally arrived for the leading man to step up, put his nation on his back, and once again carry them to European glory. Perhaps for one last time.
Image Credit: Olympiastadion in Berlin | Daniel | Flickr
Source : How Can Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal Tactically Exploit France?
