WHAT I don’t think anybody expected to see was Cristiano Ronaldo working so hard for the Portuguese team.
He understands he has to do that in this side in order to win games.
Of course he has scored some goals, too, but Ronaldo’s work has been for the team.
Against Wales you saw him a couple of times back in his own box, working back.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that before because normally the halfway line is his ‘red light’ and he does not go beyond it.
It’s really good for the spirit of the whole team to see the superstar doing that. It inspires the rest of them to work even harder and psychologically that’s been a real boost.
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Ronaldo has not had a great tournament, but he has worked for the team and he’s come up with important goals. He is the leader, the one who makes a difference.
Renato Sanches has been the other star of the team with his running power from midfield, but the key player for them defensively will be William Carvalho — assuming he comes back in after suspension.
Carvalho’s role has to be purely defensive, he doesn’t have to do anything in an offensive sense.
No single player can stop Antoine Griezmann on his own.
It will need the two defensive lines staying very close to each other so that he doesn’t have any of the space Germany allowed him to have.
Carvalho can do the job in that area, trying to clamp down on Griezmann when the Frenchman starts making his dangerous runs towards the box.
Then it’s about trying to send him towards the other defenders and into trouble — rather than into the space he is looking for. The defensive lines have to stay close.
So Carvalho has to be the first defensive line.
He must not let Griezmann get behind him at any point and must also organise the midfield.
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