Martinez and the number 6

I was actually rooting for Portugal to make it a proper game and by the end I just felt deflated, because you could see it slipping away while everyone kept waiting for something different from the bench and it never came
 
People are going way too hard on Portugal here because Spain are not some random side that just stumbled into this, they are organised, they are calm, and they know exactly how to manage a game when they get control of it. Portugal were never going to look brilliant if Spain kept them chasing shadows and Martinez clearly wanted to avoid getting stretched early, which is a fair enough idea in theory even if it ends up looking flat on the night. The issue is not that Portugal were terrible for 90 minutes, it is that they never found the right rhythm to hurt a side that is very good at squeezing space and slowing everything down. You can criticise the lack of bravery, sure, but the idea that this was some complete embarrassment ignores the opposition and the way Spain have been able to suffocate teams for ages. Martinez is not blameless, but the way some people are acting like Portugal should have just waltzed through is nonsense and I am sick of every loss turning into a full on pile on like the other team did nothing well
 
The superstition is funny, but it does not change the basic problem. Portugal looked too cautious and Spain looked more decisive in key moments.
 
There is a bit of a joke in the numerology angle, but the actual football was still the main story. Portugal had quality in the squad, yet Spain looked more comfortable with the game and managed it better when it mattered. That feels like the more serious criticism of Martinez.
 
The officials were letting everything become a little stop start and that always helps the side that is happier to sit there and manage the tempo, so once Spain got into their rhythm it felt like Portugal were chasing not just the ball but the whole game plan and that is exactly where the frustration comes from because every small decision seemed to go one way and every time Portugal tried to build momentum it got interrupted and then you have Martinez on the touchline looking like he is waiting for the football gods to sort it out for him instead of actually pushing his team forward and it is maddening because when a manager is already under pressure these little calls become huge and then the whole thing snowballs into another night where everyone is talking about the referee and the coach and the weird vibes instead of the team actually playing football
 
Spain were simply more composed when it mattered, and Portugal never looked fully settled. The number 6 angle is funny, but it does not excuse the lack of urgency imo
 
the funniest part is he probably sat there thinking the universe had his back because of the number 6 stuff and then spain just took the piss anyway, proper football humbling that
 
Ronaldo should have been managed differently and that is the hill I will die on because the whole thing felt like a stubborn refusal to accept what was right in front of everyone, he was there for the name and the aura and the noise but not for the actual football and that is the sort of decision that wrecks a tournament before it even gets going, then you have someone like Goncalo Ramos not getting the chance to influence it and the whole squad balance starts looking completely off, and I do not care how many people want to defend Martinez because this has been the same story with him for years, he falls in love with his own ideas and then acts shocked when they do not work, it is infuriating and honestly the man should not be anywhere near another top international job after this, enough is enough
 
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