Ahead of Portugal's UEFA Nations League match against Norway at home, Bruno Fernandes discussed the team's adaptation to Jorge Jesus's tactical philosophy, his own position on the pitch, and the ongoing discussion about Cristiano Ronaldo. He stated there is no division in the Portuguese team and called on fans not to pick sides. This article is the second part of the press conference.

Other Parts of the Press Conference

Bruno Fernandes: Cristiano Ronaldo Deserves Respect, There is No Division in the Portuguese Team, Stop Creating Divisions

Bruno Fernandes: Haaland Has Admired Cristiano Ronaldo Since Childhood, I'm Proud to See Him Imitate the "Siu" Celebration

RTP Reporter: After the match against Denmark in Copenhagen, I believe every teammate who gave interviews to the media, without exception, mentioned the new head coach's work. This morning we heard the Norway coach say that Portugal should be ranked third in European football right now. I'd like to ask, without disrespecting the previous coach, do you feel happier to some degree? Do you feel the football you're playing now aligns more with the football you want to play?

I've been through this before. When the coach changed from Fernando Santos to Roberto Martínez, I was asked the exact same question. Word for word. Back then, everyone said the atmosphere was more positive after the coaching change and everything was more relaxed. Now it's the same again. It's positive and more relaxed after the change.

I think every coach has their own way of working, and everyone is different. Some coaches' methods suit certain players more and others less. Some players play more under one coach and others play less. But what I can talk about is what's happening now. I'm very grateful to Fernando Santos because he was the first coach to call me up to the Portugal national team. I'm also very grateful to Roberto Martínez because he gave me many opportunities to play.

Similarly, I'm grateful to the coach sitting next to me. As I mentioned, I'm already familiar with his philosophy, but I think what's most important for us right now is that everyone understands and absorbs these ideas quickly and responds to the coach's demands quickly. Especially in defense. That's an area the coach has focused his energy on and guided us in detail personally all along.

In our defensive game, not just the defensive line but also the pressing and how we want to press the opponent. The coach places special emphasis on the defensive line, which is very important for our defensive style. The effectiveness of the defensive line has matched his demands closely.

We've already seen the results of this work. There's still room for improvement, and there will always be room for improvement in every game. But the truth is the players have adapted well. We're playing well, and the team is winning. I think when you win, it's always easier for everyone to say the team understands the coach's philosophy better.

When the first defeat comes, some might say the coach's philosophy is wrong, or the players don't understand his philosophy well enough. So I think what's most important is winning games, understanding the coach's ideas as much as possible, and implementing them on the pitch.

Football Reporter: Against Wales, you played as a false winger, moving into the left-center midfield area, but in your second game, which was the most recent one, you played as a number 10 or second striker. I'd like to ask how these two positions differ for you? And how do you think Jorge Jesus's style of play will help highlight your strengths?

According to the coach's attacking demands, the two positions are quite similar. In our defensive game, if I'm in a slightly deeper position on the left, I need to press more on the outside to shut down the opponent's attacking fullback and follow him when he pushes forward.

When the ball moves to the other side, I need to come inside to help the midfielders and prevent the opponent from having numerical superiority in the middle. If I play in the position I played in the most recent game, I need to help the forwards more at the start of the press, and when the team drops deeper, I become part of a three-man midfield, helping to block the middle and prevent the opponent from building their attack from there.

When we have the ball, as I just mentioned, if I start from the left, I need to try to occupy the inside space, leaving the outside for our fullbacks to use their strengths, whether it's Nuno Mendes or Nuno Tavares. They're excellent at pushing forward, they're quick, and they're great at playing down the line.

At the same time, I need to stay close to the midfielders, close to what the coach calls the number 10 and number 8, including the second striker and center forward, so we can play one-twos, like what happened in the game against Denmark. I think it's important for me to understand these movements and combinations, but more importantly, the team needs to understand these ideas clearly and be able to apply them in different ways in different games, to keep our style of play unpredictable. I think we can do that already.

CMTV Reporter: It's clear that the Portuguese team is operating in an environment not affected by outside interference, because your response on the pitch doesn't allow for any other conclusion. As a Portuguese person, I want to thank you for that. As a journalist, I'd like to ask: over the past several days, everyone has been talking about the same topic and nothing else has been mentioned. For example, in the third round, Portugal's combined score equaled the combined score of all our opponents combined, but that hasn't received the attention it deserves. How does each of you deal with this situation?

This is a very natural process. I'll be frank with you—I know what you mean. We're very familiar with this situation. We all know it well. I've played with Cristiano Ronaldo at club level, and most of us have played with him in the Portuguese national team for a long time. We know how much media attention he gets, so it won't distract us from what we're doing.

We know that as a team, we're doing things well, which includes Cristiano Ronaldo too, because he's part of the team. He played in the first game and didn't play in the second and third games, but he played in the first one.

We know we're doing things well and we know we're in a process where we should be, moving in the direction we want. We're getting closer to our goal, and that's what matters most. As a group, we need to understand that we should set aside all the distractions that might arise and focus on what truly matters, which is what we do best—playing on the pitch.

Because what happens off the pitch isn't something we need to manage. We need to manage our emotions and keep them steady as we step onto the pitch.

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