FULL REACTION: Portugal OUT of EURO 2024 after loss to France 👀 ‘HARD TO WATCH!’ | ESPN FC

FULL REACTION: Portugal OUT of EURO 2024 after loss to France 👀 ‘HARD TO WATCH!’ | ESPN FC

[Music] welcome into the latest edition of espnfc I’m Dan Thomas joining the studio today by Frank Leu Craig Burley and Steven manman as the lineup is set for Tuesday’s semi-final in the European Championship it will be Spain against France we’ll talk about Spain knocking out Germany a little later on but let’s focus on the game that’s just finished which was pretty turgid throughout the 120 minutes it would go to penalties France completed all of says J Felix hit the post and that proved to be decisive as France s through to the semifinals Jurgen clintsman joins us we’ll be talking to Jurgen in a minute but I feel it fitting that we start with the Frenchman on the panel got away with one my God I don’t even know what to say you know I’m so disappointed by the way we play well you said enough during that 120 minutes yeah yeah yeah complaining complaining complaining mostly but yeah we had some changes to score with kaminga with with tram with also uh I forgot some others but we had a chance to score but we didn’t and like we since we started the competition um but I I don’t like the the pace of the game we uh we we showed today it was slow and um and Portugal didn’t help us out in a way that they were they were copying us so that wasn’t a good game and especially when you watch the Germany Spain before you you have to compare and you have two teams who can win the the the competition and two other the team who are I don’t know quite average I would say and and boring mostly but there’s so much quality on the pitch C you look at the players at both Portugal and France within the squad yet this game was just really hard to I don’t think it was that bad it was M do youed yeah I I didn’t think no you want to watch it again I’ll have a bet next time I think I think it threatened at times to be to be something interesting what you want no I know what you mean that with the players in both sides we thought it was going to be a lot more exciting but then there was so much at stake right I suppose would be the excuse and then the other side would be you know people watching this show would say well you know what’s the difference between France and England in terms of their performances I don’t think the French have got anywhere near their best but they certainly been I think slightly better A lot better than England but but yet haven’t really hit the the straps and then from the the other point with with Portugal If you and and this is something we just seem to have talked about a lot but if you’re keeping Ronaldo on which which he did and we’ve talked about it for days on end even before this tournament started what would be Roberto Martinez go to a position on Ronaldo I think the answer we got it was he kept him on for penalties yeah he kept Ronaldo on for penalties when he had little or no impact on the game he had that one big chance from the cut back that came at him quite quickly when he sold on Pomano a couple of lovely dummies but apart from that Portugal for all the nice play in the middle of the park in that position were lightweight yeah we saw man make a couple of big saves didn’t we but apart from that both teams in the final third lap that kind of Cutting Edge yes they did um Cristiano and Killian mbappe who a lot of you know the talk was about before the game were really disappointing where they killi in particular yeah you know you get the fact that sometimes you can have a poor game when the ball is near you but kiling looks as if he doesn’t want to run dembele came on and was was much brighter sharper Rafa Lea in the first half was sharper and did wanted to do things kinger had probably argu with the chance of the game didn’t he just pulled it wide but um I thought they were very strange substitutions on both both sides of the pitch today uh for both teams but you know France got the job done and that’s all that matters in the end and they move forward and again we’ll sit here in a couple of days and go hopefully the real France will turn up but what we’ve seen so far they’re not going to beat Spain are they I mean we’re GNA wait and see who plays for Spain they’ve had that many people going to miss the semi-final but Spain are far more impressive on the p and France I want to make a I think I can make a statement about mbapp I think it doesn’t serve anybody seeing him playing the way he plays right now how much is it down to the old no it seems to be big time you know and we can’t judge him if be better without it than with it and but he cannot play like that he suffers he not at his best so he doesn’t it’s not good for him for his image for for for his performances and it’s not good for friends so uh well even when out you can compare desan with martinez who pushed pushed mbappe to to go out comparing to Martinez didn’t do anything for Ronaldo but yeah if he’s not at 100% if he’s only at 70% because he’s in pain he shouldn’t play because we are talking about top level and even if you’re mbappe you you shouldn’t risk or to put something at stake because you are mbappe so for the only thing you would say though Frank is then who will going to score the goals because dembele toam col moan they look as if they’re never going to scored a goal so you’re always thinking a 70% Killian mbappe is better than 100% the rest of the team we don’t we don’t have we don’t have an answer for that because I mean we we can see that every time and we saw again demell he had a big chance to score it’s always over the the post W again okay again again what I call him is water a p because everything he does before the shot is fantastic and after Oh What A P but we the other side the same but yeah it’s it’s hard but mbapp doesn’t doesn’t score goals either no so you can take a risk but before the uh the knock that he took on the nose uh which seemed to obviously affect him he was on the periphery of the game before that and I’m presuming you know apart from the injury that he’s carrying with the mask on he was 100% to go at the start of the game but yet he was on the periphery even then and M was talking about watching and you know he doesn’t he he’s not doing enough to get himself on the ball he’s kind of happy to to stand on the side and sort of wait for it to happen and maybe wait for a moment uh so he was already on on the periphery of the game uh then but look they they’ll probably just you know brush him down get him right and he’ll play in the the semi-final I mean baring a disaster he’ll play but you know we’re talking about Ronaldo being not involved in the game you know even before this injury happened to Kelling mbappe it hasn’t quite been himself self is that fair Jen yeah I think it’s fair it’s it’s not the Kum in Pap and be used to see you know from the the last couple of years especially you know obviously in the World Cup in in Qatar and and and uh um it’s difficult for a manager to obviously kind of say to him listen you know it might be better you come off the bench and and we give it a shot first with the other guys and then you come on and and make maybe a difference or you go with him from the beginning on and you hope exactly what you said that with a 70 80% mbappe you maybe get in a position to score and and he scores that goal then and and he can make a difference I mean it was was uh a game to watch where two teams literally didn’t want to lose they were not there was a difference to the Spain Germany game where both teams wanted to win they played to win in meanwhile Portugal and France in this game they played not to lose and to leave it up then to the Penalty Shootout basically to to decide it obviously there was chances and they could have made a goal earlier but but this is uh this is not the kilam mape that we that we adore that we you know all our fans of because he’s not he’s not 100% by far not and uh yeah it’s a difficult it’s a difficult choice for for deson to make for the next for the next match they can score goal I mean on the penalty shootout they have been absolutely fantastic great Joo J will never near it that was amazing so I said okay they can find the net yeah yeah good that’s so good that’s the only positive point when Jo kundi come up though everybody was like let’s be honest cuz he we were shy yeah but he actually I mean you’re right the French penalties were were tremendous but this is this is kind of France under DS isn’t it that that that’s what it is that not always a mindset to like entertain and enth and outplay opponents and it’s just about getting that getting to that end game that’s kind of how they’ve gone they’ve always gone about fans can’t be happy with what they’ve seen today the French yeah well the French are not very interested about that because we are in the middle of an election right now say some yeah some of them no I think they will be complaining about the fact that it’s not what we want to see and it’s been 12 years with Jan that we have results and it’s what he cares about as you explained Craig but the way they play you you have a lots of frustration uh also from uh from from some form former players like Yan Miku said yeah we’re going to remember that team because they have results but we’re always going to say wow okay but I was so boring and that’s what it is but D again and I said it yesterday was raised with Italian football at a time where winning one nil was perfect you are you were defensive solid and it’s what it is and you score one goal because you always have a chance to score you go home bye-bye thank you very much and it’s what it is nil nil one nil on goal at the end they in semifinal the last we’ll see of Cristiano Ronaldo at a European championship of course he announced that that’ll be it this will be his last one talk to me about him today unfortunately um he wasn’t as dynamic as he has been in the past and I think he was always slightly on the way he’s a powerful player to have in the team I expected him to play it’s a big decision to put him on the bench and use other people but I said it on yesterday’s show sometimes I think it’s not healthy having someone as powerful as him in a team like Portugal when they are scattered their squad is the well I think personally it’s the best Squad in this tournament yet the likes of Doo jot who’s a superstar for Liverpool Gonzalo Ramos of course who has been for Benfica now at PSG they have not had a look in you cannot believe the amount of people on that bench who have not have played a very very minimal part in this tournament and they will be gutted and that will all change after today’s game because of course one man will step out and they’ll become a bigger and a probably a stronger group on the back of it the people might think that we are be maybe against Ronaldo but it’s not the case no not at all it’s really against Roberto Martinez he’s the coach he has to make a decision and if if he if he has been designed for for that team uh um he has to show up and show his strength yes and we say already said it last time they they got in danger because pep got tired uh during the extra time he didn’t change him before that the same for Ronaldo he should be able to say to Ronaldo listen you’re 39 you’re tired you know I need some fresh legs and I’m sorry I’m going to change you they did it the last workup and they almost went far you know what and it’s not Ronaldo Ronaldo he wants to play and yeah of course everybody wants to play and wants to stay on the field it’s not his fault but the coach has to step up H Jurgen how would you deal with it well for a manager it’s definitely the most difficult thing to do is to an established uh um more mature or call them then older players to tell them listen you know it’s just simply not exactly the the quality anymore than it was you know five or 10 years ago you know and to tell that player that you know time over I need to bring in younger players and I need to refresh the group I need to create a fresher energy um and maybe I can bring you still Off the Bench with you on board with me or maybe I have to just leave you out of the the roster this is very very very difficult for a manager uh and it’s it’s it’s quite a few teams that have the same same problem you know look at Germany even if they played a good game today they are out of the competition so they only played the quarterfinals um usually you know we I would say traditional football Nations if it’s England if it’s Spain Italy Germany and France we would say um a tournament is a failure if you don’t go into the semi-finals this is for the same counts for Brazil and counts for Argentina in the cup America if you don’t make the semi-finals it’s a waste of time you you didn’t have to have a good experience so so then you have these discussions absolutely because you know obviously Germany brought back Tony cros they brought back Manuel Neer um and to brought back on a up today Thomas Miller you know so similar discussion there and with Cristiano Ronaldo he is who he is he’s has been the the player one of the two with Messi you know the last 15 20 years which outstanding but you know I mean we all getting old a little bit so so it is it is a tough one because you want to as a manager you want to create an environment where there is so much energy there’s so much desire to win so much urgency to win which I didn’t see that from the Portuguese but I also didn’t see it from the from the French team you know this hunger just to say you know we’re going to be here until the end and and we want to we want to win this game not we don’t we don’t want to just lose it and uh um therefore yeah that is a tough one for a manager but that’s what you’re getting paid for that is your job to to tell a player listen it’s just not it’s just not uh uh what it was anymore he played every minute M when got some extra time last game extra time this game when Roberto Martinez got the job we said in this studio here he’s got a big decision to make or can make and it’s the Ronaldo Factor he either chops the head off it there and then and shows that he’s ready to make big decisions or he panders and he pandered from his very fr press conference then that sha them into this tournament and by the way they walloped everybody in qualifying yeah the group the group was easy really weak wasn’t it and that that was the time to say right they played Nations league and they played the group and they wall up people by five and six and they were all dancing and singing and scoring goals and we said judge them when they get to a major tournament and and let’s be honest about it as Frank I think said this Portuguese team are are absolutely littered with talented players but the Carri the front man mhm he hasn’t scored now and before the game started I think it was 8 hours of elite level competition World Cup to the Euros that’s Now with an extra two hours on top of that is 10 hours he hasn’t scored he’s the front man he scored a penalty so they’ve carried this player and yet we have a manager who is prepared to leave him on for penalties only he could have brought Gonzalo Ramos on he could have put Raphael Le out through the Middle with his Pace he could have brought Diego Jo he could have did all these things but he took everybody else off apart from him so he he squandered the opportunity Roberto Martinez to make a big decision a big decision that could have changed this uh course for Portugal and that that’s that’s the thing we said that he would do when it when it when push came to shove two months ago we said he will not make a big decision on this guy and it’s not a Christian raldo hait in here it’s he’s 39 you can’t keep doing it and look Harry Kane hasn’t had a good tournament but he’s been on the score sheet at least he’s been on the score sheet and it’s the fact that he’s 39 with so much quality on the bench you know if he was to stand out player sure in a struggling team whatever Sweden he plays and that’s it the fact that it’s the fact that he’s got such quality on the bench where they are probably chomping at the bit to get on to try and help their country to try and get the winning goal to try and be the hero and they know that they are not going to come on especially with somebody like jooj I mean to we we saw him playing for Liverpool before his injury and after his injury is is he was the the the ex X Factor in the way that he was doing the difference every time was coming on or he was playing and you see him on the bench and you feel so sad about him because he has nothing to do but wait but wait for what he will have no chance to play he came on last time but it was like for for somebody else not at his position maybe that’s that’s sad because we all said it before and I’m pretty sure that deep inside him Roberto Martinez knew it so so how you deal with a big personality like like Cristiano Ronaldo you have to talk to him you have to talk to him when you get the job you say well that’s what I want to do because I know that you are the big image of the of the country I want to use you but I have to tell you I will have to make choices and I want you to get bitter about my decision we want to work together for the best of our country if you say that maybe Christian say of course no problem because I’m sure he knows and he knows he wants to win and I’m sure he’s just oh you know what you’re the king I’m you’re going to play but competitively he is playing in the league which is not really competitive isn’t it you know he is in Saudi AR I know Ruben NZ is there as well but R Ruben NZ is a lot younger so he hasn’t had that competitive football action like the majority of players has he’s not playing in the Champions League he’s not playing at that Elite level every you know for the last couple of years so that was a perfect opportunity for the manager to say you know what I’m going to step you aside if you still want to come you can come you’re in the squad but you’re you know you’re not going to be a starter now I might put you on and off every now and again but you are not going to be a starter I’ve got younger people who are playing in the Champions League we out who are winning their leagues domestically in Europe we every single year I need to start them now because there has to be something beyond your career you know Roberto signed I don’t even know a four-year deal this is two years into it and this you know they’ve gone out all be by penalties this is this is failure for Portugal with the squad they’ve got so now he’s got another two years where he’s going to have to start again he may as well have started two years ago if that makes sense he’s he’s made it all about he made the story all about Ronaldo again when he took the job that that was crystal clear uh we’re only 18 months removed from the Qatar World Cup where the same manager failed with Belgium and thought it was fitting to make a guy in Eden Hazard who had been one of the one of the great players particularly at Chelsea he saw it fit for him to Captain port Belgium and play yeah and I mean he was you know in in terms of being a passenger he was five times a passenger at that point of his career than what Cristiano Ronaldo is but yet he saw fit for that to happen and and what we saw with that Belgium camp and particular at that time and it’s not really got much better since was descension started to seep through from senior players you know just not happy but because the management wasn’t strong enough and I’m not saying Portugal would be in this sem fin if Cristiano Ronaldo had been taken off but I think they would had a better chance sure and I think it was definitely something when you looked at the game you thought what changes would you make and I think he was one of the ones that was sticking out like a so thumb but I honestly believe if they had a striker that was even better than Ramos or Diego J coming on and playing that false night if they had somebody that was banging in goals left right and Center in the Champions League and at Elite level I still don’t think they’d play I still don’t think they would start the game for Portugal with this manager because Ronaldo has got so much has had so much strength over this manager who unfortunately has been too weak to make the big decisions when it’s when when pushes come to shop and we’ve talked about that for months Rober Roberto martinz has has had success in the past he hasn’t just won a competition to suddenly be the the manager of Portugal just take us through his mentality and what he’s thinking and why he’s sicking with Ronaldo because he still has trust he has beli in him that he can make the difference that he’s still that Difference Maker when he comes down to the crunch time today was crunch time uh quarterfinal is crunch time quarterfinal decides if you make a tournament successful or you make it a failure because it’s the semi-final that makes it a success um but it’s exactly like Craig said it you know you don’t want to look back uh to what you did just now and saying you know I had that feeling I needed to maybe make that switch by but I was not courageous enough to do it so hopefully that’s not the case for Roberto hopefully he really was convinced that Cristiano will make the difference and will’ll score goals and and will do a great job but we didn’t see it unfortunately tournament now is over for Portugal they’re going home uh with a failure obviously um so that is something I I I think is really important for a manager that you you got to do what you believe in you got to stick to it and then you good about you got to be convinced of of what you’re doing and and even if it’s an unpopular decision even if some people will give you stick if you leave a big name at home or on the site for the sake of the success and you if you have it in your gut then you have to do it there is a big example in uh in 98 imish didn’t take how long we get to get 98 no whatever let him get it I just go for something else somebody somebody because that’s my best example because it worked uh imake got the gut of not taking Cantona and ginola in ’96 in the Euro then in ’98 he he offered the job of a striker for Cantona who didn’t want it therefore he didn’t use it in England nobody understood that decision jol Kona they were the big stars they they should have played and but emishi stood up and say no I want to do work with somebody else and everything Roberto Martinez played the politician who wants to please the majority of the people in Portugal not the guy would take as Yan said in popular decision to make the country better that’s what it is and you have to take risk what the point to be a coach if you don’t take any risk what the point you have that position if you don’t say well that’s what I want and die with with your ideas and not die with the ideas of he’s upset he’s frightened what people think he’s frightened about reaction yeah now Fernando Santos already made that decision at the World Cup he dropped him didn’t work out in the end but he dropped him at least he had the stomach to make a big call and Ronaldo did not like it at the time but he didn’t want to make a decision that would come back to haunt him oh you’ve you disrespected this this guy when it’s really more about you know what’s the best Avenue for Portugal to win this the French were getable tonight yeah the French were getable but that was the get was the thing yeah but Portugal lacked something in that fight they lacked that it was certainly from aam and William C point of view there was absolutely no danger of that one man running in behind no danger so they was it’s not a surprise was easier to Mark wasn’t he cuz he wanted to go that way all the time he’s left him on for penalty kicks which he did score but come on with this Portuguese Squad that’s a very negative way to go about it

Frank Leboeuf, Craig Burley, Jurgen Klinsmann and Steve McManaman join Dan Thomas on ESPN FC to react to France’s 0-0 (5-3 on pen) win over Portugal the UEFA EURO 2024 Quarterfinals.

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