Bruno Fernandes believes the criticism that followed Portugal’s 2-1 defeat by Croatia at the weekend was a reflection of the high expectations fans have ahead of Euro 2024. Portugal won all 10 of its qualifying matches, but its preparations for the tournament from June 14 to July 14 in Germany has been far from perfect, with losses to Slovenia and Croatia in recent friendlies.
“I don’t want anyone to think that we have reached this point thinking that everything is over and there is nothing to improve,” midfielder Fernandes told reporters on Monday. “There are always aspects to improve. To be honest, I kind of like that negativity around the national team, ‘the team is not that good anymore’, ‘it’s not what we want yet.’
“I like it because it is a sign that people expect a lot from us and want more from the national team. It means that the players who represent the country have the quality to do more. Knowing we have it, we have ambition and we want to do more and better.”
Portugal will face Ireland in their final warm-up match on Tuesday. They are in Group F of Euro 2024 and begin their campaign against the Czech Republic, before facing Turkey and Georgia.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
