🚨Jürgen Klopp on Portugal’s performance against DR Congo:
🗣️ “Look, everybody wants to talk about Cristiano Ronaldo.
His age.
Whether he should start.
Whether he should play ninety minutes.
For me, that is not the biggest problem Portugal have right now.
The bigger issue is the team around him.
I watched the game and I saw a lot of talented players, very good players, but not enough intensity, not enough sacrifice, and not enough urgency.
International football is different from club football.
You cannot just rely on technical quality.
You have to fight.
You have to run.
You have to suffer together.
The best teams in this World Cup are doing exactly that.
I did not see enough of it from Portugal.
People talk about this midfield like it is the best in the tournament because of what these players do for their clubs.
But football is not won on reputation.
It is won through collective effort.
Against DR Congo, there was too much comfortable football.
Too many safe passes.
Too much waiting for somebody else to make something happen.
If Cristiano Ronaldo was getting chance after chance and missing them, then okay, we can have that conversation.
But when your forwards are not getting proper service, when your attacking players are isolated, then the problem is much bigger than one player.
Portugal have enough quality to go far in this tournament.
But quality alone is never enough.
You need hunger.
You need intensity.
You need a team willing to do the dirty work for each other.
And right now, that is what I think Portugal are missing.”
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