Between the two matches against Paraguay, the team is undergoing recovery training and preparation for their final game before the World Cup. This Tuesday, in Rio Maior, the Portuguese squad regrouped to focus on their second encounter with Paraguay, following a 2-2 draw in the first match.
In an interview with the FPF, Erick Mendonça represented the team ahead of their second match against the South Americans, downplaying the significance of the last two results where Portugal couldn’t secure a victory. The team’s priority remains the process and being in peak condition for the final stage in Uzbekistan.
Areas for Improvement: “It was a tough game, as we anticipated. We’ve faced them before in the semi-finals of the Final, and they are a team that presents a lot of challenges, especially because of their versatile defense. They switch between man-to-man marking and zone defense, which caused us some trouble at times.
Despite this, it was a good match, and we managed to score twice through strategic plays from set pieces. However, I believe we could have played with more intensity. We need to improve our finishing, and I also think there’s room for improvement in our build-up play. I’m confident that we’ll correct these details in the next game.”
The World Cup
“At this stage, the result is not our main concern; we’re focused on the process. Of course, we always aim to win, but there are valuable lessons to be learned regardless of the outcome. The important thing is to be in peak form and at our best when we arrive at the World Cup. I believe all the planning has been done with great care.
We’ve faced teams with various styles and approaches to the game. We are concluding this training camp against very strong opponents like Ukraine and Paraguay, both of whom will surely be in the World Cup finals.
The Team: “We’re at our peak on all fronts. The experience we’ve accumulated makes us highly competitive. I think we’re at a very strong pre-competitive level. Unfortunately, we lost Pauleta, but this group has already shown that nothing can bring us down.
Being such a close-knit team makes it difficult to lose someone who means so much to us. The message has been clear: everyone can contribute more. In every training session, we need to give a little extra, always striving for improvement. We have to push ourselves to the limit every day. We know that when the World Cup comes, fatigue won’t be what holds us back.”