Portugal defeated Wales 1-0 in the Nations League opener. Following the match, Portugal coach Jorge Jesus was interviewed by Sport TV and RTP Notícias, discussing the team's defensive adjustments, Bruno Fernandes' positioning, and the reasoning behind Ronaldo's substitution.

Sport TV Interview

How did you analyze this match? What elements of Jorge Jesus' style did we see? And what situations led you, as we often see, to passionately demand adjustments from the players on the bench?

Jesus said: "It's normal. During the match, sometimes I see players in positions that don't align with my intentions, so I remind them and make demands, asking them to pay attention. This is also the coach's responsibility; the coach must clearly see what's happening on the pitch.

We didn't play well in the first 15 to 20 minutes. Initially, I thought the opposition would deploy three midfielders instead of a second striker, so I set up our defensive midfield positioning based on that assumption. I asked Vitinha and Rúben Neves to adjust their positions, but at that point, we were still struggling to contain the opposition's midfield activity. Then they understood. I kept reminding them that the opposition indeed had a second striker on Rúben Neves' side, so Rúben Neves needed to act as our third midfielder. The final 30 minutes of the first half were our best period, and the goal came during that time.

In the second half, the opposition had just one shot on target. Nevertheless, I'm confident that if that shot had resulted in a goal, VAR would have disallowed it because their striker touched the ball with his hand while receiving it. In any case, I'm satisfied with our defensive performance. Against a strong team in set pieces, we defended well from set plays and didn't allow the opposition to frequently penetrate our penalty box or have too many shots; they had two such opportunities. By doing this, the team came closer to victory."

Bruno Fernandes was positioned more to the left today but more centrally when in possession. Will we see him play in this position more often in the future, or will he play behind the center forward, as you mentioned previously?

Jesus stated: "Every match has different situations and different tactical setups. Bruno Fernandes played like this under Rúben Amorim at Sporting CP. Back then, the team had three players in the front line, he operated on the inside left, there was a player on the other side, and the center forward in the middle. He's very familiar with this position. The only difference is in defense: often, he needs to drop deeper. For the first match, he could have performed better with the ball, and the team needed him more in ball possession."

In the coming days, what aspect do you most need to improve with the team to get them to play Jorge Jesus' style of football?

Jesus answered: "There's no single problem. To establish a team's playing philosophy involves many aspects. Currently, my main focus is defense. We actually only have one day of field training for this: one day for theory and another for practical work."

RTP Notícias Interview

How do you evaluate this match? In your view, was the result better than the performance on the pitch, or did you also like the team's performance?

Jesus said: "I'm satisfied with both aspects. The result is always important because everyone analyzes matches based on it. I also analyze the result, and this victory is important. But even if we hadn't won, I would still analyze the team's defensive organization. Please note, we faced Wales, and they had just one shot on target, one shot on target. The team earned this victory defensively.

Keeping a clean sheet is very important because it brings us closer to victory. Admittedly, some individual players know they could have performed better, but in terms of the most important team playing philosophy, I think we played well in the first match."

Is the team still far from what you want?

Jesus said: "It's normal. Perhaps the coach also needs time. The key is that as a coach, I must see what's happening on the pitch. I reminded the players several times because we were facing a very physical team with man-marking that didn't give us space. Against a team like that, players shouldn't drift too far from their teammates when in possession. I asked everyone to stay compact so we could play passes.

In the first 15 minutes of the first half, we were indeed not synchronized. Given the opposition's setup, we thought they would play 4-3-3, which somewhat disrupted the pressing setup of João Félix, Rúben Neves, and Vitinha. But then we realized the opposition was actually playing 4-4-2, just like us. From that point on, the team gradually got into the game."

Was Ronaldo's substitution planned before the match, or was it a decision made based on how the match was unfolding?

Jesus said: "It wasn't planned before the match; it was dictated by how the match developed. With 25 minutes remaining, I needed at least one player with enough energy to press the opposition's buildup from the front. In terms of technical attacking ability, he may not have Ronaldo's capability to move forward, receive, and hold the ball, but I know Gonçalo Ramos can make our first line of defense press higher up the pitch, which was important.

That was essentially the reason for the substitution. Furthermore, from a technical performance perspective, there weren't many attacking sequences happening at that point. In short, I'm satisfied with the team's performance."

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