On paper, it’s obvious to see why Roberto Martinez has been linked with Celtic.
Ties to Scotland, Premier League experience, trophies in the bag… his CV is stronger than most.
But last season proved that managing Celtic isn’t easy. Simply dominating possession and territory often isn’t enough anymore.
That statement isn’t just true at Celtic; it’s true in every competition in the world. Case in point: Roberto Martinez’s Portugal.
👀 Has the World Cup shown that Celtic dodged a bullet in Roberto Martinez?
Roberto Martinez’s problems stem way beyond Cristiano Ronaldo
Much of the talk about the Portugal boss at the World Cup has surrounded Cristiano Ronaldo, and understandably so.
Regardless of how great he once was, the 41-year-old was blatantly off the pace, making the decision to keep €74 million back-to-back European champion Goncalo Ramos on the bench look absurd.
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But even if it were Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland up front, the team’s formulaic rotations would be no better to watch.
Brendan Rodgers was an extremely successful Celtic manager across two spells, but at several points, his team were criticised for sterile “possession for possession’s sake”.
Martinez’s teams warrant the same criticisms, but worse. At this summer’s tournament, Portugal offered almost no dynamism. Settled attacks, transitions… they were completely lifeless.
Add this to the disjointedness in which Ronaldo’s presence played such an obvious part, and the blame for them going out with a whimper lies solely with the manager.
Better coaches could’ve provided better solutions for such a star-studded Portugal team to flourish, be that with or without Ronaldo. It’s barely believable that this is the same midfield pivot we’ve seen at PSG for the last two years.
The last month has likely done Martinez out of any shot at a top-level club job in football any time soon. Good news for football watchers everywhere.
If that’s all he could conjure up with Joao Neves and Vitinha, imagine how bad it could’ve been with Celtic’s midfield?
It doesn’t bear thinking about. It’s safe to say that Celtic dodged a bullet.
🤔 What changes do you want to see made to Celtic’s football this season?
Martin O'Neill has some plans…
Alan Stubbs warned Celtic about Roberto Martinez
Speaking to the Daily Record last year, Alan Stubbs cautioned Celtic with a brutally honest reflection on Martinez’s time at his beloved Everton.
He said: “I think, if you would have asked Everton fans about Roberto Martinez after [his first] season, it would be very mixed.
“A lot of the football was a bit side to side, backwards, slow, monotonous – and I think a lot of Celtic fans will say, ‘that was the case with Brendan Rodgers at times’, even though he has been so successful.
“It would be a great move for Roberto, I just don’t know if it would work out the way Celtic fans would want.
“I would certainly be cautious. Even though Roberto Martinez has had big jobs… he has not been very successful in them.”
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