The national under-21 team has been prioritizing the projection of players in the main team, regardless of the competitive scenario, guarantees Pedro Pauleta, director of youth teams for the Portuguese Football Federation.
“Everyone has their strategy. We could be saying that we have players from the Under 19s and that the ‘AA’ came here from the Under 21s. Above us is the ‘AA’ team and that is the most important thing. our decision. Fortunately, things are going very well so far and there is an enormous relationship and trust between the management and the coaches of all the teams. We believe that it is the best strategy, ”he confided.
The former Portuguese international striker and current head of the U21 team was speaking to journalists in the run-up to the runner-up match with England on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the European category, proof of which the eligible António Silva, Gonçalo Inácio, Vitinha or Gonçalo Ramos, who were even summoned by the ‘AA’ national coach, the Spanish Roberto Martínez, in the last month.
Rui Jorge made his squad and, from there, these will be the best 23 players we have to represent Portugal and we have to value them. If we get the result, we don’t play so badly in the first duel [derrota frente à anfitriã Geórgia, por 2-0]. We completely dominated in the first half, but we conceded two goals in two balls. Sometimes you have to analyze the game for what was done and not just for the result, ”he defended.
Portugal, who finished second in Group A, faces England, the unbeaten winner of pool C, on Sunday, starting at 8:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. in Lisbon), at the Ramaz Shengelia Stadium, in Kutaisi, Georgia, at the third meeting of the next phase of the competition.
“The most important thing in an under 21 team is to make the players grow and prepare them for the difficulties they will encounter at the top level. Fortunately, in these 10 or 11 years we have managed to make them realize and grow in the quarries. Proof of this are the players who have already passed through here and are now in the ‘AA’ team. It is clear that if we can add titles to that, much better”, added Pauleta.
In addition to keeping alive the ‘dream’ of taking away the European ‘hopes’ for the first time, after the finals lost in 1994, 2015 and 2021, Portugal is aiming for its fifth participation in an Olympic Games, after Amsterdam 1928, Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004 and Rio 2016.
“This Under-21 European Championship is a bit different, as we have the opportunity to be at the Olympic Games. It is an objective that we want and for which we will fight. Our first objective was to pass the first stage. the second is to go to the semifinals and qualify for the Olympic Games, which is very important for the country”, he stated.
At the continental level, the Portuguese youth teams have already triumphed in the under-16 (1989, 1995, 1996 and 2000), under-17 (2003 and 2016), under-18 (1994 and 1999) and under-19 categories. (2018), adding two world titles followed by the sub-20 (1989 and 1991)
“We want all our teams to be able to win titles. We have never won with the Under 21s and that shows the difficulty of a competition in which we have been to three finals. If it’s this year, better,” Pedro Pauleta wished.
Source: TSF
