Martinez said that he will use the 22 field players during the two games, Saturday’s against Ireland and Tuesday’s against Hungary, because it is necessary to “work with a larger group” to “continue with the same performance”, especially given the absences of João Cancelo and João Neves.
Given the PSG midfielder’s injury, the coach did not want to reveal whether he will give João Palhinha the starting job, but assured that the Tottenham midfielder “is important” and “is prepared to help the team”. “There were 19 players who played in the last training camp, the idea is that they are prepared to help. Modern football is about always having players ready to help,” he added.
Asked about the guerrilla atmosphere between the big three, the national coach says that there is a “very strong rivalry”, which is “good and makes everyone try to improve”, and highlights the “training of the players, which is exemplary”.
In training that began minutes after the press conference, Martinez was without João Félix, who is suffering from muscle pain and is in doubt for this Saturday’s match.