MX23RW : Friday, November 8 21:44:00| >> :600:100546:100546:

Paulo Bento defends decision not to play Cristiano Ronaldo as striker

Paulo Bento defends his decision not to use Cristiano Ronaldo in a central attacking position during Portugal's World Cup campaign.

Portugal head coach Paulo Bento has insisted that he was right not to play Cristiano Ronaldo as a striker during the team's disappointing World Cup campaign.

There were calls for Ronaldo to be deployed in a central position throughout the group stages, but Bento claims that he has no regrets about his choice despite failing to secure a spot in the last 16.

"I never thought of Ronaldo as the spearhead. It was not on my mind to put Ronaldo as the only centre-forward since the beginning of the tournament," he told TV1.

"I think it's not the best for his goal tally and for the team. We talked about it, of course. He did not seem to feel comfortable in that position but it was not necessary for him to tell me that."

Ronaldo was forced to battle a knee problem during his time in Brazil as Portugal could only finish third, behind Germany and the USA, in Group G.

ID:162698: cacheID:162698:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1439:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Portugal's forward and captain Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the Group G football match between Portugal and Ghana at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 26, 2014
Read Next:
Jose: 'Ronaldo didn't believe in Portugal'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!