Portugal manager Santos defends Jota omission after loss against France

Lisbon [Portugal], November 15 : Portugal manager Fernando Santos defended his decision to start forward Diogo Jota on the bench after France defeated the hosts 1-0 in the Nations League.
A lone goal from N'Golo Kante in 53rd-minute was enough for the visitors as the world champions claimed the top spot in Group A3 and a place in the Finals.
Santos opted for a front three of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Joao Felix in Lisbon, with Jota introduced shortly after Kante's goal.
Santos said the attack was not Portugal's problem against France, defending the decision to start Jota from the bench.
"As I said before, this team played in France and did very well there. And I don't remember someone asking me why Diogo Jota did not start the game," Goal.com quoted Santos as saying.
"Jota is definitely a top-quality player, everybody knows that. So is Bernardo, and the same goes for Cristiano. And Felix, too. If Jota had played and the team's performance wasn't good, you would ask me why Bernardo or Felix didn't play as Felix is in top form at Atletico Madrid and Bernardo is Bernardo. That's normal," he added.
Apart from defence, Portugal's boss also felt that team lacked in midfield too.
"I understand your question and I am alright with it. It's normal to listen to these questions after the game. But I don't believe this was our problem. We had collective issues and we couldn't stop France playing. And perhaps one or another problem in the midfield, too," he said.
The loss ended Portugal's Nations League defence after they were crowned inaugural champions last year.