Santos says he is “the right man”, but will leave if Portugal falls in the play-offs
In an interview with TVI, Fernando Santos said that he spoke with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Fernando Gomes, on Tuesday, and that they both concluded that the coach remains the right man for the position, despite the Portuguese formation have failed to qualify directly for the World Championship, after losing to Serbia (2-1), on Sunday.
“I spoke with Fernando Gomes, but not only after the game. We always talk. He is extremely demanding, has a very objective way of reflecting and I am also like that. In these years, we always communicated a reflection, in 2016, 2018 and 2020. Yesterday [terça-feira], we talked about our thoughts and we both understand that I am the right man to continue at the head of the team and to take it to the World Cup. If he thinks that way too, it’s an even greater confidence factor,” he confessed.
For the rest, Fernando Santos said that he had not considered the departure of the `quinas’ team, following the defeat against the Serbs, as he has yet to miss any goal since he took charge of the selection, in 2014.
“I didn’t consider leaving. In 2014, assuming with Fernando Gomes the commitment that the day I didn’t reach the goals, I would leave. We’ve always set goals and, until now, they’ve all been met, they’ve always been cleared. World Cup, but this is not the first time that Portugal has had to play in a play-off. We are not out yet,” he noted.
However, leaving a certainty, if Portugal does not surpass the `play-offs` of qualifying for the World, in March.
“If I don’t qualify in the play-offs, I’ll leave on my own initiative. On the day that any goal is not met, there won’t be any conversation. I leave on my own foot. There is a commitment made to Fernando Gomes. As long as we fulfill our goals, let’s go continue together. On the day we do not comply, I leave, “stressed.
Even so, the coach is confident that Portugal will qualify for the final stage of the competition, even though he has assumed that the quality of the Portuguese game “has not been ideal” and that “there has been a lot of exhibitional oscillation since 2018, since the arrival of the new generation of players, who have different characteristics from the previous ones”.
Fernando Santos named the game against Germany, at Euro2020 (defeat by 4-2), as “the worst of all” since the national selection, along with the recent clash with Serbia.
On the other hand, the coach refused that his game idea is outdated and guaranteed that “there is no wear and tear” in the relationship with the national team players.
“My personal and professional relationship with the players is excellent. I’ve been a coach for 34 years, I’ve been through many things. When players don’t play regularly, there’s always some heartburn. I would be very worried if the national team players don’t play regularly keep appearing. The message to the players continues to pass, “he said.
Portugal lost on Sunday, at home to Serbia, in the last match of Group A qualifying for the Mundial2022, missing direct qualification for the final phase of the competition that will be played between November and December of next year, in Qatar.
Having finished second in the group, behind the Serbs, the `quinas` team will dispute the `play-offs`, which will be held on March 24 and 29, 2022.