The national team has a new Ronaldo: his name is Bruno International football

It is still too early to say whether the good version of the Portuguese team that beat Poland is a final version. This could be repeated Tuesday (7:45pm, RTP) against Scotland, but it could also be a unique phenomenon. But there is something that can already be said, even with just one match experience: that Roberto Martinez wanted to make Bruno Fernandes a new Cristiano Ronaldo, and the idea not only worked well, it made perfect sense in theory.

One of the most glaring problems for the national team was the lack of attacking presence in the area due to the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was a fan of leaving his position to help his teammates create plays.

Deep down, the captain doesn't seem willing to accept that, at this stage of his career, he can be “just” a target, resigning himself, at 39, to the fate of never being a counterbalancer – let alone a toy. creator.

Ronaldo seems to believe that the more he participates in making the game, the closer the team will be to achieving victory. This is a debatable assumption, but Roberto Martinez does not want to discuss this matter, especially since it is not plausible that Ronaldo would agree to change his mind or that anyone would convince him to do so – not to mention Martinez who is focused on being more conciliatory than litigious.

Therefore, the Spaniard chose to overcome this problem with the help of Bruno Fernandes. Against Poland, Ronaldo did not fail to score “from the edge”, reloading inside the penalty area, but he also did not fail to make the raids that he likes to do: supporting forward away from the penalty area, touching the ball to the right and catching it on the left.

But Portugal did not lack a striker thanks to the work of Bruno Fernandes, who was there frequently.

Appointment fraud

The selection play system is quite hybrid and assumes players are able to appear in areas that are not theoretically theirs.

This has already happened with the right-back who is an attacking midfielder, with the centre-back who is a right-back, with the right-winger who is an inside midfielder and with the left-back who is a little bit of everything. Now, it also happens with a central midfielder who is a striker.

Against Poland, Bruno Fernandes insisted on being in the striker's box whenever Ronaldo left his position, and this gave the team a body in the end zone.

Fernandes sought the ball at the front posts, carried the loads, cleared spaces and, above all, pulled the markers. Often, the midfielder did not touch the ball in the finishing zones, but his presence at least made it possible to fix the center back, instead of leaving him “in a wheelchair” due to the lack of a nearby opponent.

Spot in the penalty area

Heat maps of Bruno Fernandes' movements show the small difference between the previous five matches (Nations League and European Championship) and this one against Poland, the only one where there was a dark spot inside the area – a sign that Fernandes has spent too much time in the box.

This act as a booking trick may seem like a secondary role for someone like Bruno Fernandes, but that doesn't mean it takes away his importance. First, because the heat map shows that it can also be influential in other areas. Secondly, because he was close to goal several times, and in Portugal's 1-0 match, he was the one who pivoted from the air, passing to Bernardo with his back to goal in an 'on the striker' move. “.

He arguably benefits from seeing the game head-to-head, given his virtues in reading the game, passing, decision-making and even in the middle of the range, but it seems fairly obvious that the team is benefiting from this potential individual loss. By Bruno Fernandes – It is not guaranteed that will be the case.

The player is without a position

In the press conference for the match with Scotland, Roberto Martinez did not touch on this topic, but spoke, in a general way, about the ability of several players to play different roles – including Bruno Fernandes, but also Bernardo, who ended up getting roles. especially. Little.

“There are many players who can play multiple roles. We have many options. With low blocks, Bernardo can find space inside, but outside he makes good decisions and changes the intention of our attacks. Bernardo is a player without a position,” he explained.

At this point, Bruno Fernandes also doesn't seem to have a stance. Or even there: the position is wherever Ronaldo is not.