""Cristiano inside the box continues to be a very high-level player," the United captain told Canal 11 of the Al-Nassr forward. "He draws defenders and creates space for other players. If Cristiano doesn't play and [Paris Saint-Germain's] Gonçalo [Ramos] does, Gonçalo is strong in pressing and good at diagonal runs. "When I'm not playing and Bernardo [Silva] is playing as a number 10, Bernardo gives you more possession, I make more of a final pass.""
""It's all like that. All players add things and take away others. Cristiano is the same as us. We have to know how to adapt and enhance each other's qualities so that the national team benefits. "I know what people think, that it's clear we play better without Ronaldo, that the players are freer and more fluid. "I think that, if that happens, it's partly our fault. We can't worry if Cristiano is on the pitch, because Cristiano can give us things.""
Portugal qualified for the World Cup with a 9-1 win over Armenia without Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was suspended after a red card in a defeat to the Republic of Ireland and is expected to play in what will likely be his last World Cup at age 40. Bruno Fernandes defended Ronaldo's place, describing him as a high-level inside-the-box player who draws defenders and creates space. Fernandes noted other players bring different qualities, citing Gonçalo Ramos' pressing and Bernardo Silva's possession game, and urged the team to adapt to enhance collective strengths rather than assume better play without Ronaldo.
Read at 101GREATGOALS.COM
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