Portugal's national team coach Jorge Jesus announced his first squad since taking over and held a press conference. This is the first part of the press conference.

There are four new faces in your squad. I'd like to ask why you chose Samuel Soares, Nuno Tavares, João Palhinha and Fábio Silva? What can they bring to the team? Also, will their inclusion help us see your mark on this Portugal team from these initial matches?

Those are actually two questions. First, among these four, only Fábio Silva hasn't worked with me before. The other three have; Samuel Soares, João Palhinha and Nuno Tavares were all my players. So they know me and I know them.

Moreover, except for João, the other three are only in their mid-twenties. This means that by 2030, they still won't be 30 years old. So they are both current and future players. Of course, what matters most is still their current performance at their respective clubs.

When you took over, you said the Portugal team you'd lead would be very different from the Roberto Martinez era. So I want to ask, from a tactical perspective, whether you'll prioritize a 4-4-2 formation with a playmaker operating behind the striker to link play and support the number 9, similar to how you've often set up in the past? Also, regarding Ronaldo, he was included in this squad, and you've previously stated this could be his final year. Do you expect him to play in all four Nations League finals—of course, we all hope Portugal progresses—or do you have a longer-term plan for him?

Of course, that's my idea. Every coach has his own philosophy, and I certainly have my own way of wanting the Portugal team to play. I believe in the quality of these players and I believe in the work we've done over the years coaching at different clubs.

The player I just mentioned who operates behind the striker is actually a second striker. According to my philosophy, generally I prefer to have an extra second striker rather than an extra defensive midfielder. So besides João Félix, I've also called up several other players who can play in this position, like Bruno Fernandes, Trincão and Leão.

A coach must first understand the characteristics of his players and then, based on those characteristics, adapt them to his own philosophy. That's what a coach should do.

As for Ronaldo, my approach is simple. Since he was selected for the team, he was selected. All players on this list are now available to me, which means everyone can play. I know you might ask next: why only call up 25 players? Why not 30? Why not call up 42 or 44 at once, like some of my colleagues?

Then we'll play a match every three days. For coaches like us, this is a common situation in our careers. So the starting eleven will definitely change, but those adjustments will have to wait until after each match.

Only then will we know the physical condition of the players, and we'll make decisions based on each game. We have to play four matches, basically one every three days. So we'll make decisions match by match, based on each player's physical condition at that specific moment.

Following your previous answer, I still want to ask about this squad. Given that there will be four high-intensity matches in this cycle, did you consider calling up 44 players at once, as Klopp did for the German national team? Did you ever think about that? Also, still on Ronaldo. I want to ask if you think it's possible to see him celebrate his 1,000th career goal in a Nations League final coached by you?

I don't want to say much about what my colleague Klopp did. That's his idea. Actually, all coaches first draw up a preliminary list, and our preliminary list has a total of 46 players. But in this first phase, I called up 25.

My idea is completely different from his. Calling up 44 players at once—actually, at this stage of the Nations League, he's the only one doing it—makes no sense to me. Because these players usually play club matches basically every three days. I don't know if any of them will get injured.

If someone gets injured, won't the team still need to be adjusted? So for me, this makes no sense.

As for Ronaldo, I don't know. But I believe his 1,000th goal is more likely to be scored at Al Nassr than for the Portugal national team.

António Silva wasn't selected again this time. He was previously a starter at Benfica and now he's in England, also playing as a starter. What does he still lack to be among the national team players you're choosing? Also, regarding Fábio Silva, he's a new face in this squad. Have you been following his performances? He's been performing very well at Borussia Dortmund. Were his performances at Borussia Dortmund precisely what led to his inclusion in the Portugal squad this time?

There are several factors here, but let's start with António. As you can see, I've called up only four centre-backs. António could certainly be one of these four, but I've decided to stick with the four centre-backs I have.

Among these four, two have worked with me before, which is very important to me; they are Tomás Araújo and Rúben Dias. The other two will work with me for the first time.

António could certainly also be one of them, but I decided to continue with the other two players already in the national team squad.

As for forwards, Fábio Silva has some characteristics that are different from other strikers. For example, Gonçalo Ramos, including Ronaldo, aren't the type of forwards who are particularly good at attacking the last defensive line and creating offensive depth through runs.

I might be speaking a bit too technically, and you may not understand immediately. There are also two other forwards who could have been selected, namely André Silva and Gonçalo Guedes. But compared to them, Fábio's characteristics are completely different. Also, he's only 24 years old.

So could he even start directly?

All players on this list can become starters.

Traduzido por IA.

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