The Portuguese Fernando Santos, coach of the Portuguese national team until it fell in the quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, was presented this Tuesday as the new Poland coach, a position in which he takes over from Czeslaw Michniewicz, with the hope of finding stability .
The 68-year-old coach from Lisbon spoke in his language during the presentation and was in favor of “hard work” and communication with the squad and clarified that “without players there is no coach and vice versa”.
KNOW MORE: Roberto Martínez is the new Portugal coach
Precisely his ability to get the best out of great individualities It was one of the factors that the Poles valued the most to put him in charge of the team, a fact that Santos himself recognized.
“Fortunately, yes.I have always trained great players”Santos explained; “Everyone has their own mentality and personality and the selector must know how to combine them.” But, he clarified: “During training, I’m in charge, the players have to respect that and they always have.”
The emphasis on defense, one of the hallmarks of the Portuguese, will continue to be important in his Polish stage. “If we don’t lay a good foundation and build a strong house, the house will collapse. And defense is the base, ”he explained.
Although he promised to settle in Warsaw and “be one more Pole”, Santos will not return to Poland until February, when he will do so accompanied by his technical team, and on March 24 he will have his official debut against the Czech Republic in the first qualifying match for Euro 2024.
KNOW MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo highlights the “union” of the group against “external forces”
From that moment on, all efforts will be focused on achieving the qualification for next year’s Eurocup which will be held in Germany, as indicated by the president of the Polish Federation, Cezary Kulesza.
“The contract with Santos has two cycles: the first goes until Euro 2024 and the second until the 2026 World Cup. It is the best for both parties”, explained the president.
Santos comes from taking the reins of the Portuguese team for the last eight years and his greatest successes were the title of the Eurocup in 2016 and the League of Nations in 2019, but the fiasco suffered with the defeat in Qatar against Morocco and the decision to sit Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench ended up deciding his new professional course.
