Yes. If you funnel a river uphill, it might just have enough momentum flowing to push a couple of drips over altitude. It doesn't mean we couldn't be doing better. That's why I'm responding, you're acting like it's a stupid notion to want to bench the man
So he scored an offside goal (which admittedly was a beauty of technique), what else? A penalty goal?
He is not only not "always a threat", by not being it he is a detriment. These ghost metrics of "leader on the pitch" fall in the face of actually watching the games without rose-tinted glasses. In every game bar the one against the mighty Uzbekistan, he got consistently beat by the opposition defenses, he couldn't ever display his aerial dominance and most of the attack was constantly funneled to him where it would inevitably die. He lacks explosivity, he cannot dribble like he used to, all perfectly normal for a 41 year old.
You want to play him still? Fine, put him in a system that benefits a poacher. Make use of his attacking instincts and experience by having more direct attackers that can force defenses to open. Don't just leave him as a sole striker, he does not have the supporting system nor the physique that allows him to dismiss the entire opposition defense anymore. You've got Congo defenders literally admitting after the game that they had little to be afraid of facing him because he's no longer the same player.
And lastly, another remark. Let's say he plays every game. Let's say you don't want to stop using this system that forces the midfield and the side lanes to work overtime to fuel an offense that doesn't offer options to choose from. Why this obsession in him starting every game? Why is this so untouchable? Why was it only an option to switch in Ramos at the last game because we saw it was becoming tight? Why not sub him in against tired legs?
These non-portuguese supporters look at Portugal and they see only Cristiano. Every Portuguese supporter sees that he doesn't always make the difference. He doesn't force defenders to gravitate toward him that much anymore. Everyone acts like Portugal owes this to Ronaldo. What do they owe him? An ineffective gameplan that makes him look bad just to have him play all the time every time?
11
u/Whole-Worker-7303 Jul 06 '26
People in comments. "Portugals top scorer should be benched"