Portuguese frenzy builds while Scolari fine tunes the machine

After an enthusiastic welcome from thousands of supporters, Scolari and team Portugal tried to settle into their World Cup headquarters. An open training session was held in Gütersloh, Germany (in Portuguese) with 12, 500 frenzied fans making it seem like the tournament was already under way. During the afternoon session, Scolari worked a bit more with his offensive options. Maniche is emerging as Big Phil’s choice to support Deco in midfield transition and a likely starter for Portugal’s inaugural game with Angola. N. Valente, Miguel, Figo, and C. Ronaldo worked on their combination play with the defensive backs coming forward in support. Even R. Carvalho got into the act with some support runs up the middle.

On the media front, the medical team (in Portuguese) insists that the climate in Evora had no impact on the players and that they are in the best possible condition after a long club season. Asked about a recent late night outing by some of the players, head physio Darlan Schneider responded, “The downtime was planned in advance. When we give them time off, it’s time off. They are free to do whatever they want. Clearly, if they don’t sleep enough, their recovery will be slower, but we have methods for dealing with that.”

I’m glad to hear we’re all in such good hands. And by the way, can I get some of that magic hangover tonic?