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EURO 2012 Squad Announced

Paulo Bento portugal-vs-islandia_323x216has named his 23 man squad for Euro 2012:

Goalkeepers: Rui Patrício (Sporting), Beto (Cluj), Eduardo (Benfica)

Defenders: Pepe (Real Madrid), Bruno Alves (Zenit St. Petersburg), Fábio Coentrão (Real Madrid), João Pereira (Sporting Lisbon), Ricardo Costa (Valencia), Rolando (FC Porto), Miguel Lopes (SC Braga)

Midfielders: Carlos Martins (Granada), João Moutinho (FC Porto), Rúben Micael (Real Zaragoza), Custódio (Braga), Miguel Veloso (Genoa), Raul Meireles (Chelsea),

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Hélder Postiga (Real Zaragoza), Nani (Manchester United), Nélson Oliveira (Benfica), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas), Varela (FC Porto)

No real surprises at goalkeeper. Beto and Quim were competing for the third spot, but the nod went to Beto. Eduardo and Patricio are a solid pair and I have a lot of confidence in Patricio as our goalkeeper.

Pretty typical choices at defender except for the inclusion of Braga’s Miguel Lopes. I can see Bento’s trace of thought as to why he chose Lopes and that is his versatility. With Silvio out and obviously no Bosingwa, I think Lopes was a better choice than Nelson, who was really one of the only other options available at full back. But let’s be honest here, other than our usual four at the back, I don’t want to see any other defenders on the squad see the field unless we are ahead and trying to shut down the opposing team. We all cringe at Ricardo Costa’s name, but to be fair he finished the season very strong for Valencia, playing every minute of their last 11 games, and he played well. I would have to make him the first reserve CB ahead of Rolando.

Another Braga player, Custódio, has snuck into the squad at the last minute ahead of the likes of Manuel Fernandes and like I said earlier, Daniel Carriço. This is one that I can’t understand. Fernandes is a proven player at the NT level, and has the ability to change the game going forward when replacing Veloso. Custódio is not nearly as solid as a defender as Carriço, and isn’t as good a passer or scorer as Fernandes. This one makes little sense to me and makes us rely even more on Micael and Martins, which doesn’t bode well. A lot of you also were probably hoping to see Hugo Viana get included also. Bento didn’t think he fit well in the squad, but I can’t see how. His playmaking ability isn’t one we could afford to pass on, and since Martins and Micael’s game is so similar, Viana would have been a good change up to throw in.

2818602214_1I am very pleased with the picks at forward. I personally like Varela even though he had a tough year, and am happy to see him back in the squad. It was nice to see Bento roll the dice at least a little bit with his inclusion of Oliviera. I hope he gets some minutes, because he is as talented as they come. Also, let’s hope Quaresma brings his A game to Poland/Ukraine.

All in all I would give a C+ grade to Bento’s picks. I was hoping to see a combination of Viana/Carriço or Fernandes/Carriço, but that was not to be. Let’s just pray our usual 11 stay healthy and composed out on the field to avoid suspension because it is painfully obvious how thin our bench is. We may not love all of Bento’s selections but now is the time to get 100% behind our team and give them all the support they need to be successful this summer. FORCA PORTUGAL!!

More Portugal News

EURO 2012 Right Around the Corner!

May 3rd, 2012 | By: Paulo | Comments Comments(8)

The countdown is officially on! Can you believe it’s only 5 weeks away until the Euro’s are underway? It’s hard to imagine, but things are about to heat up in international football. I can’t wait to hear that first Portuguese National Anthem when we take on Germany June 9th.  It will be a sight to see.
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Portugal vs. Poland Preview

February 27th, 2012 | By: Paulo | Comments Comments(20)

Sorry for the absence everyone. Trying to balance school and work is tough, so I had to put a few things on the back burner including this blog, but I plan on getting back in the swing of things.
Earlier this week, Paulo Bento announced his first squad of 2012 for the upcoming friendly against Poland. The team ... [read more]

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December 13th, 2011 | By: Paulo | Comments Comments(17)

Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, and Fabio Coentrao all started in Real Madrid’s brutal 3-1 loss against Barcelona. Ronaldo easily had his worst game of the season wasting two brilliant opportunities to score right in front of goal. As the game wore on he got more selfish and didn’t help his team’s chances at all.  Good to see he shook ... [read more]

Group of Death Round 2

December 3rd, 2011 | By: Paulo | Comments Comments(14)

uefa-euro-2012-logo-369x280Luck wasn’t on our side now for the second straight major tournament as Portugal has been doomed to the Group of Death once again in Group B alongside Netherlands, Germany, and fucking Denmark, AGAIN. Not to mention the toughest group stage ever in the Euro’s statistically (all teams in the top ... [read more]

Portugal 6 – 2 Bosnia! Better pitch, better results!!

November 19th, 2011 | By: Paulo | Comments Comments(34)

Well, my bags are packed!! If 6 goals wasn’t a wake up call to the rest of Europe, then I don’t know what is. Where has that killer instinct been throughout qualifying? Each and every one of our players rose their game to a new level for this do or die encounter, and they delivered. There ... [read more]

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