Portugal coach Jorge Jesus announced his first squad since taking charge and held a press conference. This is the second part of the press conference.

João Palhinha has been called up this time. I remember, for example, when João Mário played for Portugal at Estádio José Alvalade, he was heavily booed. If Palhinha plays at Alvalade, what would you like to say to Portuguese fans there? Are you concerned he might be booed like João Mário? Also, there were earlier reports that you tried to persuade Rafa Silva to return to the squad. Can you confirm that?

I'm calling up players for the Portuguese national team. It doesn't matter to me whether they play for Benfica, Sporting CP, or any other club. What really determines whether they can be selected for my choices is the players' current form and their own abilities. As for which club they belong to, that's not important to me.

But I'm asking about how the fans might react—that's the issue here.

No, I can't answer that question. All I can say is that they're here to represent the Portuguese national team. For me, that's what matters.

And what about the question on Rafa Silva right now?

These 25 players are those I decided to call up after careful consideration. Apart from those who played in the last World Cup but aren't in this squad, I haven't spoken individually with any other player. So I haven't had any conversation with Rafa.

First, I wish you good luck. We haven't met here before, so I also wish you all the best in your next role. I want to ask about Ronaldo. In your view, what role do you want Portugal's captain to play? How do you see him? Especially those of us who closely followed this World Cup know that whenever something goes wrong, responsibility often falls on Cristiano Ronaldo. How do you plan to prevent this situation from happening again?

What really matters is his performance. Doesn't his past count? Of course his past exists, and all the achievements he's made throughout his career are certainly there. But what really determines my choices in future matches and training is his current performance.

This applies to him, and it applies to all the other players. And there are 13 players on this list who have worked with me before. No one has asked me about this yet, but I can tell you proactively.

This will help me. Because we're about to start playing, and we haven't yet established our foundation. So from that perspective, these players who worked with me in the past are very important for my decisions and this squad.

Back to the question about Ronaldo. Ronaldo is like all the other players. If he performs, he plays; if he doesn't perform, he doesn't play. I do this for all players, and it's no different just because he's Ronaldo.

Of course, is Ronaldo's status different from the others? Yes.

Is his career different from the others? Yes, that too.

He's won five Ballon d'Ors. But will these things affect my decision? Absolutely not.

However, if you ask whether he's different from other players, of course he is.

I'd like to ask, when will we actually see this Portuguese team play with your characteristics? Will we be able to see a Portuguese team closer to Jorge Jesus's philosophy in terms of playing style in the last match of this international window? Also, I saw you personally attend many Portuguese domestic matches to observe many players in different stadiums. What is your current assessment of Portuguese football?

First, to answer the first question. I have a very clear understanding now, and I'm very certain of what I'm saying, which is that I need to accelerate the entire process. I need to accelerate this process so that players can understand and adapt to what I want them to do increasingly quickly.

And accelerating this process involves many aspects, not just field training. Let me say something of my own again, and I'll continue to do so in the future.

I have "field training" and "indoor training." I won't give players long traditional speeches. For me, it's indoor training and field training. So, to accelerate the entire process, it needs to be done from many aspects at the same time.

Additionally, I also deeply believe in the wisdom and ability of the players. Because various situations will always arise in a match, and for some of these problems, players must also trust themselves to solve them. That's about the playing philosophy.

As for your second question—why I'll watch some players play in person—I find it very important to observe players personally. The last time I watched a match in person was in Madrid, where I observed Bernardo Silva. Of course, now we have many ways to observe players, and it's not necessary to be physically present to see them.

And I can't attend every match in person. So our technical staff divided the work, with different team members going to different places to watch specific matches. Therefore, our current ideas and choices are based on what we've seen, and then we consider how these players can adjust according to my philosophy.

I looked at this list and felt it was very similar to the World Cup squad, with only four new faces. So I feel one word can describe this list: "continuity." Rodrigo Moura is now performing remarkably at Roma, and Flávio Gonçalves is also performing very well at Sporting CP early in the season. Additionally, there's Matheus Fernandes, Nunes—these are all very young and talented players. Many national team coaches are now pushing for team renewal, but it seems you don't want to carry out this renewal, but rather maintain a team very similar to the past. How do you explain this?

No, I don't think this is a team so similar to the past. Of course, as we just discussed, there are indeed only four new faces this time compared to the last squad. But the vast majority of players are still the original ones, which has nothing to do with the previous coach's playing philosophy.

The previous coach had his ideas, and I have a completely different set of ideas. That's a different question from how we view the individual characteristics of each player.

As for the young players you just mentioned, they've also been under our observation. And I've communicated many times with the U-21 national team coach, Luís Freire. So, at this stage, I feel that the younger players you just mentioned haven't yet had their opportunity.

I'm focused on the present and also on the future. So I made this decision.

Related reading:

Jesus: I prefer two forwards to a third midfielder; Fábio's characteristics are unique

Traduzido por IA.

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