The Ball – “I respect all the players in Portugal, but I prefer the players I have in Uruguay” (Portugal)

Uruguay coach Diego Alonso analyzed Monday’s match against Portugal, referring to the second round of Group H of the World Cup. An increasingly important meeting for the South Americans who drew South Korea in the first match.

“We have already seen the balance that exists in this World Cup and what happened to Argentina and Germany [n.d.r. perderam com Arábia Saudita e Japão, respetivamente] And how difficult it was for Portugal to beat Ghana. We do not underestimate any opponent, nor the result we achieved against South Korea, but we are here to win matches and keep the dream alive », he began by warning before leaving praise for the Quinas teams:

“They have a very good team, with very good personnel, and an experienced coach who knows how to lead the team to win titles. They have been playing together for a long time and this makes Portugal a dangerous team. But we also have our arguments that also make us a dangerous opponent.

“Portugal have several options, they can play on the counter attack because they have speed or they can be dominant because they have an inside game. It’s a complete team.”

When asked what element of the Portuguese team he would choose to play in Uruguay, Diego Alonso bluntly replied: “With all due respect to the players from Portugal, I prefer all the players I have in Uruguay.”

The coach ruled out any advantage for Uruguay, the “executioner” of Portugal, in the 2018 World Cup, stressing that “all matches have a different story.”

On the experienced Uruguayans in Portuguese football – Darwin (ex-Benfica, key player against South Korea), Coates and Ugarte (sports players, unused substitutes): “They may have deeper knowledge, but I don’t think it’s better to be able to play We naturally talked to them about any doubts because we are all helping, but whoever is in the best conditions and in the best football moment will play.”