Bruno Fernandes remarked that the criticism following Portugal's 2-1 defeat by Croatia over the weekend reflects the fans' heightened expectations ahead of Euro 2024.
Despite winning all 10 of their qualifiers, Portugal's preparations for the tournament in Germany from June 14 to July 14 have been less than ideal, with recent losses to Slovenia and Croatia in friendly matches.
"I don't want anyone to believe that we reached this point thinking that everything was accomplished and there was no room for improvement," midfielder Fernandes told reporters on Monday.
"There are always areas to enhance. To be honest, I appreciate a bit of this negativity surrounding the national team, 'the team isn't as strong anymore', 'it's still not up to our standards'.
"I appreciate it because it shows that people expect a great deal from us and demand more from the national team. It signifies that we, the players representing the country, have the capability to achieve more. We are aware of that, we are ambitious, and we aim to perform even better."
Portugal will face Ireland in their final warm-up match later on Tuesday. They are in Euro 2024 Group F and will kick off their campaign against the Czech Republic, followed by matches against Turkey and Georgia.