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Always the bridesmaid and never the bride is the quote that matches Portugal when it comes to European and World Championships. Despite having talented players over the years, Portugal have never made it big in the international stage with their best performance being the runners-up at Euro 2004.
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Eusebio and Luis Figo have taken Portugal to some respectable positions in the European and World Championships and if the pattern is to follow, Cristiano Ronaldo has to make it big this time. Managing Portugal would be the 42 year-old Paulo Bento who has turned this Portugal side into a well-oiled machine.
Portugal play in the group of death along with Denmark, Netherlands and Germany. If they have to get past this group, they would have to oust either the World Cup finalists or the European finalists. It would be interesting to see how thing pan out.
Portugal have made it to the European Championships five times since 1984 and each time, they have cleared the group stages. They were the semi-finalists in 1984 and 2000 and were the runners-up in 2004. In 2004, they lost the game 1-0 after being 100-1 favorites on odds to win it. That defeat at home still haunts most Portugal fans. If they have to re-write history and make things right, they would want their captain Cristiano Ronaldo to carry them all the way.
Paulo Bento was a defensive midfielder who has made 35 appearances for the Portugal National Football team. He was appointed as an assistant to Carlos Queiroz in 2010. But after Queiroz was sacked, Bento was appointed as the full-time manager of Portugal. Bento injected new life into the Portugal side and has taken them to Ukraine with style.
Bento has the fire that most managers wish for. Although his tactical abilities are questioned, he is a manager who will bring you results.
After Luis Figo and the golden generation of Portugal retired, they have been struggling ever since to find the correct combination. This time though, they have a very strong team. Let us take a look at their key members.
Raul Meireles
The Chelsea midfielder will play the anchoring role in the Portuguese side this time around. He can play in any position in the midfield and that will be a huge bonus for Paulo Bento. After seeing recent games, you can safely predict that Meireles will start behind the striker in an ‘Attacking Midfielder’ role.
The Manchester United stalwart had a pretty average season in England. Nani can play on both the wings just like Ronaldo and the pair switching wings for Portugal will be a nightmare for the defenders to handle.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Who else? After a stellar season with La Liga champions Real Madrid, Ronaldo will have to prove himself in national colors now. He has conceded that they are not the favorites and their first priority will be to qualify from the group. If anyone can get Portugal through to the next round, it most certainly is him.
Experienced defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Jose Bosingwa were dropped from the squad after they had a fall out with Bento. This means that Portugal’s defense is a bit weak. Other defenders include Bruno Alves, Fabio Coentrao, Joao Pereira, Pepe, Rolando, Ricardo Costa and Miguel Lopes.
The midfield doesn’t hold any surprises as Viana, Moutinho, Miereles, Veloso and Micael all find places. Ronaldo and Nani will most certainly occupy the wings. Quaresma and Varela are the back-ups. The main headache for Portugal lies in the center-forward position for which both Hugo Almeida and Helder Postiga are competing. Both are competent but not great, making the choice a difficult one to make.
The fight for the goalkeeper spot will be between Eduardo and Rui Patricio. Given the former’s instability and going by current form, Portugal will surely go with Rui Patricio.
- Probable starting XI
Looking at Portugal’s squad and Bento’s preferences, they are likely to go with a 4-3-3 formation. The front three is almost certain with Ronaldo-Postiga/Almeida-Nani. In the midfield, Meireles and Moutinho are sure starters and the third place will probably go to Veloso.
Defensively, Portugal will be hugely dependent on Pepe to provide some stability and he will be paired with Bruno Alves. Coentrao will take his place on the left with Pereira on the right.
The main strength for Portugal is the fact that they have no expectations to fulfill. Nobody expects them to progress to the next round and that will ultimately benefit them. For all we know, there are dark horses in each and every tournament.
Their weakness though lies in the absence of a quality striker. Long gone are the days of Nuno Gomes. Postiga and Almieda are good but they are not good enough. The presence of a striker will haunt them, but there is always the option of playing Ronaldo in the center.
Nobody expects Portugal to win the cup, for that matter, nobody expects them to progress beyond the group stages. So, if they do cause an upset and go into the next round, it would be a huge morale boost for the players.
The chances are slim but Portugal have the squad to defeat the main teams such as Germany. But are they capable of doing so? We’ll just have to wait and see.
