“He is detrimental because he cannot move” - Portugal sent warning about Cristiano Ronaldo as Chris Sutton predicts result of Slovenia clash
BBC Sport columnist Chris Sutton has warned Portugal about Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of mobility ahead of their upcoming Euro 2024 Round of 16 clash against Slovenia. Despite this, he backed A Selecao to win 3-0 at the Deutsche Bank Park on Monday, July 1.
Roberto Martinez and Co. qualified for the knockout stages as Group F winners, finishing at the summit with five points from three games.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo notably struggled to make an impact, providing just one assist across the group stages. He has now failed to score a goal in six consecutive games at major tournaments - his longest-ever run.
Portugal were also defeated 2-0 by Georgia in their final group-stage clash, ending an exceptional run of 12 consecutive victories.
They haven't lost two competitive games back-to-back since Euro 2008 but face a spirited Slovenia side next that finished third in Group C. The latter drew all three of their games, including holding England to a stalemate.
Sutton made his prediction for the upcoming clash, namedropping Cristiano Ronaldo in the process (via BBC Sport):
"Portugal were already through when they lost to Georgia and made lots of changes. I am expecting a very different performance from them this time. That might be despite Cristiano Ronaldo rather than because of him, however.
He continued:
"I know you can't say a bad word about him in Portugal but he is detrimental to their team because he cannot move anymore. He can still finish, of course, and he has adapted his game, but everyone else has to adapt their game around him."
"Having said that, this game may actually suit Ronaldo if Slovenia play like they did against England when they lined up in a 4-4-2 shape and defended deep. Slovenia are superbly organized, as we saw against England, but I do think Portugal will have the individual and collective quality to beat them."
Sutton's Prediction: 3-0
What happened the last time Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal faced Slovenia?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. are set to face Slovenia at the Euro 2024 Round of 16 for just the second time in their nation's history. Let's take a quick look at what happened when these two countries faced each other earlier this year in a friendly.
Roberto Martinez named a strong starting XI which included Cristiano Ronaldo at the Stozice Stadium on March 26. Despite having just 35 percent of the possession, Slovenia shocked A Selecao, cruising to a 2-0 win through goals from Adam Gnezda Cerin (72') and Timi Max Elsnik (80').
In addition, Slovenia were more industrious up front, landing eight shots with four being on target compared to Portugal's 10 shots, with two being on target. The former have averaged just 32 percent possession at Euro 2024 so far and will be aiming to cause a similar upset on Monday.