Following Portugal's win over Turkey in the Europa League group stage, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez spoke to Portuguese radio and television to share his thoughts on the match and the team's plans for the future.
Martinez began by praising his team's focus and performance in the game: "I think we showed very good focus and compared to the first game, we have improved significantly, which is very positive. On the offensive side, we created a lot of dangerous chances, while on the defensive side we showed a solid defense, especially in the penalty area, where we did a pretty good job. It was a good performance, but we always have room for improvement."
Speaking about the upcoming next match, Martinez emphasized the values and solidarity within the team: "In the dressing room, we emphasize the values of going above and beyond and being united. It's important to give more players the opportunity to play and show what they can do. I trust every player and it's time to give them the chance and in this way improve the overall competitiveness of our team."
When asked if the win was an intrinsic or extrinsic result for the team, Martinez said, "It's both equally important for us. We always aim to keep improving and when we can score first, the game becomes much more different. The game against the Czech Republic was tough because of various factors, but beating a very competitive and strong team like Turkey 3-0 is a very important milestone for us."
Regarding the upcoming match against Georgia, Martinez revealed the consideration of possible adjustments to the starting lineup: "We have a lot of players who have the strength to start, which bothers me when choosing. How to use these 23 players is something I need to seriously consider. Of course, the goalkeeper's position is uncontested. But I want to emphasize that this is not a so-called 'big change'. I don't like that word because, in my opinion, all players are important and they all deserve a place in this team. There are times when they may need to start games from the bench, but there are times when they don't have to."
