Portugal’s ineffectiveness against a couple of minnow oppositions might have run a flow of pessimism among the supporters, but, Fernando Santos is fully sure that he and his team will not be flying back home before the final day of the tournament.
Santos can’t come to terms with the sudden negativity that everyone is wrapped with regarding Portugal.
According to the coach, these are the same supporters who were bullish about the team beating all odds in the competition. How can they lose belief in in just about a week?
For Santos, non-conversion of the opportunities has been a downside in the two matches, but, aside from it, there is very little to pinpoint.
In his words, “Yes, I know it’s not been perfect conversion-wise, but, going forward this way, I am sure we will have goals.”
“I don’t think I will have to leave any earlier than 11th of next month and the reason for me to say so is my trust on the side’s ability.”
“The sense of purpose that I feel in the blokes and the work ethic that I see keep convincing me every day that our stay in France will be stretched to the second week of July.”
Also, shielding his skipper Cristiano, Santos has blamed his critics for having problems with everything the star Footballer does.
On the question of Cristiano looking to be within himself only, Santos said, “Everything he does seems to be complained about. Not long ago, I heard people complaining about him smiling a lot. Now, there are complaints why he has been so reserved. But, he is strong enough to cope with it. I believe his scoring skills will be on show soon.”
Portugal-Hungary game is on tomorrow evening at Parc Olympique Lyonnals.