“He demands so much” - Ashley Westwood explains how Portugal can help ‘desperate’ Cristiano Ronaldo thrive at Euro 2024
Former Sheffield Wednesday defender Ashley Westwood feels Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is desperate for crosses, and that his team can achieve that by linking up better. In three games at Euro 2024 so far, Ronaldo has failed to score for the Selecao.
The Portuguese captain came under criticism for his performance against Georgia in their shock 2-0 loss. This was the first time in his international career that Ronaldo failed to score in the group stages of a major tournament.
Westwood, a former defender and now the head coach of the Afghanistan national team, said Ronaldo is desperate for service and that Portugal must get out wide to send him crosses. Speaking on the Football Extraaa programme on the Sony Sports Network, he said:
“He demands so much [from his teammates]. He is desperate for service, for crosses. He’s always looking to get on the end of a ball, but the crosses are not coming [to him]."
“So it’s all about how you link it up, playing through lines and then maybe get out wide and whip in a cross, which is what he is going to thrive on.”
At 39, Ronaldo is playing in the sixth and potentially final European Championship of his career with Portugal. He has never gone through a major tournament (World Cup or Euros) without scoring a single goal before.
Will Ronaldo step up for Portugal in the knockout stages?
At the time of writing, Portugal are battling it out against Slovenia for a place in the quarterfinals, where France await the winners. Although the Selecao are the overwhelming favorites to prevail, the Dragons beat them 2-0 in a friendly three months ago.
The pressure is on Cristiano Ronaldo to step up. After a goalless group stage, the 39-year-old is widely expected to score in the knockouts, having started against Slovenia tonight.
Ronaldo will be vital in breaking down Slovenia's obdurate backline, as Portugal aim to avoid another shock loss in the tournament after the Georgia humbling last week.