Portugal ready for Colombia clash after months of planning, Martinez says
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MIAMI, June 26 : Portugal coach Roberto Martinez dismissed concerns about his team’s preparations for Saturday’s World Cup group finale against Colombia, insisting months of planning had left them “perfectly ready” despite Florida storms disrupting the buildup.
Martinez said his side had benefited from having started their groundwork back in March for the game at Miami Stadium.
“We started preparing for the match against Colombia back in March… We’ve already had 13 training sessions here in Miami to adapt to the weather,” Martinez told reporters.
“The plan was to stay in Miami (Florida) to prepare for the match against Colombia.
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“The players are ready for the physical challenge of playing in a different stadium and on a different pitch that is a different turf from what we have in Europe. That’s what we did, we’ve prepared since the first day we arrived in the U.S.”
‘AWAY FROM HOME’
Martinez acknowledged Portugal would face their first match “away from home” due to the large Colombian fanbase expected in Miami, where tickets for the highly anticipated clash reportedly sold for thousands of dollars.
“It means I had to buy tickets for my family in November,” Martinez quipped when asked about the fan dedication. “That’s what it means, because I knew it was going to be difficult to get tickets.”
“I hope that tomorrow football wins and the inspiration of anyone that watches the game wins.”
While Colombia have reached the knockout stages with six points from two games, Portugal sit second on four points and are all but through.
Finishing second could give them a tougher path in the knockout stage, with England or Croatia potential opponents.
TOURNAMENT PATHWAYS AND DUA LIPA
But Martinez, who was in good spirits and even had a laugh when Dua Lipa songs played through the speakers and interrupted his press conference, said he never concerned himself with tournament pathways.
“No, it doesn’t (matter). If this were my first World Cup, I would have said ‘yes’ because you’re inexperienced and you try to plan the journey, for every possible scenario, but you realise that isn’t realistic,” he said.
“I believe the focus should be to win every game, forget about the next opponent and respect the opponent. If you want to win the World Cup, you have to beat everybody.
“You must accept the complexity and the focus should be on playing our best.”
Martinez warned that Nestor Lorenzo’s Colombia would pose a different tactical challenge.
“They have players like (captain) James Rodriguez, Luis Suarez and Luis Diaz… They transition well and they are very fast,” he said.
“They work as a team, they have tactical clarity. There is quality in the players and they love being part of the national team.”
Source: Reuters
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