Portugal coach Roberto Martinez declined to reveal whether Cristiano Ronaldo would start Tuesday's World Cup match against Uzbekistan, following the superstar's ineffective display in the team's opening 1-1 draw with Congo.
Coach's Stance on Lineup
“I can't inform you about the starting 11 because I haven't informed my players,” Martinez said on Monday when pressed about Ronaldo's place in the lineup. The 41-year-old forward failed to score and was widely criticized by pundits and social media users after missing several good chances in the second half. Some questioned why Martinez did not substitute him as the team struggled offensively.
Martinez insisted that external criticism does not affect his squad and is part of competing at such a high level. “We are playing a World Cup so of course we have a lot of noise and tension, but it's part of the game,” he said. “The focus is on the team and we want to show a positive attitude … to be ready for the match. We are very much focused. We are strong. The team is even more united than before.”
Defending Ronaldo
Without specifically naming Ronaldo, Martinez added that some of the criticism is “unfair, it's unjust.” Ronaldo did not speak to reporters after the game but has posted twice on social media since the draw. In his first post, he wrote: “It wasn't the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game.” On Sunday, he shared four pictures from a team training session with the caption: “Focused on the mission.”
Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi are the only men to have played in six World Cups. Ronaldo will try again on Tuesday to become the first player to score in six different tournaments, after failing to find the net in the opener. Messi, who has scored five goals in Argentina's two matches this year, holds the record for most World Cup goals (18) across five tournaments, though he failed to score in 2010.
Martinez's Confidence
Despite Ronaldo's struggles—he had just 25 touches against Congo—Martinez remains confident in his ability to finish chances. “Cristiano is the best one to do that,” he said. “The numbers support this of this iconic player who is Cristiano Ronaldo. If you look at the past 32 games, he is the player that has extra movement opening spaces and finding pockets.”
Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro warned his team not to underestimate Ronaldo. “We need to be careful when we are in the box because we cannot leave this kind of player alone,” Cannavaro said. “We need to be very focused on him because Cristiano can score in every situation, free kicks, even in the corner. So we need to be very careful.”
