Portugal manager Roberto Martinez praised Chelsea player Renato Veiga after making his international debut against Poland.
Renato Veiga joined Chelsea this summer for €14 m from Swiss side FC Basel. The highly versatile Portuguese is able to play at multiple positions. Since the start of the season he has played as a full back, a wing back and in midfielder. This time he made his Portugal debut partnering Ruben Dias at the heart of the defense. A day to remember for Veiga as his side came out victorious after 90 minutes and followed by the praise from manager Roberto Martinez.
RENATO VEIGA DEBUT
The Portuguese burst into the footballing scenario after making a big move to west London this summer. From anonymity in June to making his international debut in October. A huge jump into prominence from the young Portuguese and he has deserved it. A move that raised a few eyebrows by the Blues but now an integral part of the team. Maresca until now has used him as part of the rotational squad and also coming in as substitutes. As said earlier Veiga has played in multiple positions thanks to his versatility he excelled everytime he was on the pitch. So the potential was there and he continues to display. The maturity Renato Veiga shows at 21 is unmatched.
During his time with Basel, He played as a defensive midfielder but sometimes covered center back and full back positions. It was a surprise that Roberto Martinez decided to start Veiga on his debut against Poland but to more astonishment he was deployed alongside Ruben Dias at center back. That too against one of the best strikers in world football Roberto Lewandowski. Veiga used his body and aerial ability well during the matchmaking 6 clearances. Other than one moment where he let Lewandowski slip behind him for a header and was turned by Urbanski for Poland’s only goal of the game. We have to sum up his debut with three words: brilliant, matured and confident.
PRAISE FROM THE MANAGER
To much of surprise Veiga was deployed at center back with the experienced Ruben Dias. This was a huge task considering he is only 21 and making his debut against ‘the’ Robert Lewandowski. However, the 21-year-old had the time of his life in the Portugal defense winning most of his duels and gaining an 8/10 rating, the same as defensive partner Ruben Dias according to GOAL.com.
The manager accepts the fact that it was demanding to play against Lewandowski and Poland but acknowledges the maturity displayed by the youngster.
Martinez went on to add: “I really enjoyed his debut and the difficulty was superlative. I’m happy, but not surprised, we saw his potential during the training camp in September, now we see that he’s ready.”
The potential was there we can see that when he comes on the pitch whether he is playing for Chelsea or Portugal. The versatility is a really positive quality for a footballer these days. Veiga is a mixture of physicality, aggressiveness, dribbling quality and attacking mentality. Wherever he is deployed he has put out his best.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CHELSEA?
Enzo Maresca currently uses him in multiple positions and mostly during rotating the squads. He is the number one name when Maresca decides to rotate his squads. The midfielder or full back we actually don’t know to mention his position, anyway he has already scored his first goal for Chelsea against Gent earlier this month. Just to mention that he is only 21 and has a long way ahead and a lot to develop. With Marc Cucurella suspended for Chelsea’s next match against league leaders Liverpool. It is possible that we might see Renato Veiga make his first Premier League start for the club.
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