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.

I 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!!

So what progress have our player’s made recently? There have been many ups and downs in the Portugal squad, and Mr. Bento is going to have his work cut out for him when choosing his team to travel to Poland/Ukraine in a couple weeks time.  Let’s start with our forwards and wingers.

We will start out at striker. It is unbelievably hard to judge who should be our go to guy up top this summer. Hugo Almeida has come on recently for Besiktas, pushing his goal tally to 10 on the year in just 22 appearances. But like I’ve said before this is the Turkish Super League, and it is no where near the caliber of La Liga where good old Helder Postiga resides. Postiga hasn’t done quite as well on the scoring end, just 7 goals in 31 games, but he has played great in other areas of his game to pull Real Zaragoza one spot from being out of the relegation zone. Postiga is certainly a smarter and more efficient player, and I just think he raises his game when surrounded by our other Portuguese players on the national team. Almeida seems to be the perfect late substitute that can change up the tempo of the game and bring in some needed physicality when we need it. For example he may match up much better against the tough German side we’ll face, but the quick pressure defense from the Dutch and Danes suits better for Postiga. Either way it isn’t clear cut even now who will start, but with the recent good performances by Postiga on the national team, he seems the likely of the two to lead the attack.

Cristiano Ronaldo has played unbelievably well as usual this year for Liga winners Real Madrid. What’s even better news is that he scored two great goals against Bayern Munich in their CL semi final match. Yes, I know he missed the penalty in the shoot out, but that could happen to anyone. He worked Lahm for a good portion of the game, but he did fade away later in the match which was worrying. Bayern has quite a few German players like Real has Portugal players, but there is no way to predict the matchup this summer based on that game, so lets not get ahead of ourselves. I’m going to concentrate on the fact that our captain has 62 freakin’ goals this year and Bento has been able to bring the best out of him when it counts.

Nani on the other hand has definitely been struggling with form as of late. He struggled through an ankle or foot injury between March and April and has just returned to the starting eleven a few weeks ago. Most recently his performance against Manchester City was a little worrying. His touch was off at key moments and his decision making on the ball wasn’t always very good. However, Nani put in a great year for Man U all around with 12 goals and 13 assists. As long as he can stay healthy I have no doubts that Nani could be the man to carry us deep into the Euro’s this summer.

Quaresma has endured another decent year for Besiktas. Like usual, he displays flashes of brilliance going past two and three defenders like they are standing still, and then making boneheaded mistakes that leave you scratching your head. Either way, I feel Quaresma will be a vital piece for Portugal this summer coming off the bench especially now that Danny is ruled out of the competition. I have to assume we will be playing more of a counter attacking style against Germany and maybe even against the Netherlands, and Quaresma fits the mold perfectly for that. A wave of Nani down the right for 70 or 75 minutes followed by a wave of Quaresma can be very dangerous. Also, when Quaresma has his crosses going well for him, there is no one better. Couple that with Almeida charging down the center, and we could potentially have a real threat at the end of the game that could save our tournament. I just hope Bento picks him, because in the end I don’t think he can afford not to.

There has been some serious buzz surrounding Ricardo Vaz Te, the 25 year old striker for West Ham in the English Championship. He has 20 goals in 37 appearances, which is definitely worth raising an eye brow at……but raising an eyebrow is all. We are talking about international football, one of the biggest stages against the best teams in the world!! It would all happen far too quickly for this guy and honestly he isn’t worth taking up a spot on the summer squad. Now if West Ham gets promoted and he scores something like 10-20 goals in the Premier League, then yes I would say definitely give him a chance. But come on people, this is second tier football, and we’re talking about the Euro’s here. Slow your roll, Postiga and Almeida aren’t that bad are they? ☺

Which also brings me to Nelson Oliviera. I want him to be the next great Pauleta like the rest of you do, but I just don’t think he has gotten enough time with Benfica or the national team to truly prove himself. He has no ceiling when it comes to his potential, but at just aged 20 I’m not sure he’s ready for the Euro’s yet. Another young striker I’ve been desperately waiting for to blossom is Orlando Sa. He has just seven appearances this year for Fulham, and has been unable to crack the starting 11 and get consistent playing time. He has a lot of pace and a wicked shot, but like his predecessor, hasn’t really gotten the chance to prove himself yet.

Now, it would be foolish to go to the Euro’s with just two strikers on the whole squad, so surely Bento will have to call on atleast one more right? Who do you guys want to see? Will it be Oliviero because Bento picked him for the last friendly, or will he go out on a limb with Vaz Te? I just hope he makes the right pick, or Postiga/Almeida make us forget we ever had a striker problem. Bento has some tough decisions on hand, but I think he will make the right one!

I will continue with midfielders/defenders later in the week, and hopefully continue to update you guys consistently all the way through Euro 2012. I completely understand that I have been less than accommodating to your national team news needs over the last few months, but things have been extremely busy and I had to put a few things on the back burner for a while. I hope you guys can forgive me and stick with the blog! Once again I’m sorry and I hope to make up for lost time if all goes well. FORCA PORTUGAL!!

Goalkeepers: Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon), Eduardo (Benfica), Beto (Cluj)

Defenders: Joao Pereira (Sporting Lisbon), Bruno Alves (Zenit), Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid), Pepe (Real Madrid), Nelson (Real Betis), Ricardo Costa (Valencia), Rolando (FC Porto)

Midfielders: Carlos Martins (Granada), Joao Moutinho (FC Porto), Manuel Fernandes (Besiktas), Miguel Veloso (Genoa), Raul Meireles (Chelsea), Ruben Micael (Real Zaragoza)

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

Goalkeepers are as expected, although Eduardo has barely featured for Benfica this season. He may just make the final Euro squad solely because of experience, but that’s fine with me.

Bosingwa is officially done, and after watching him “defend” at Chelsea this season, I doubt he would make the squad anyways. There’s also no inclination that we will see Carvalho back either. Pepe has stayed healthy and sort of in form for RM but he has to stay composed.  Alves appears to be the only other capable CB on the squad. Once a strong point of the team, our centerback position is becoming increasingly thin since NOONE wants Rolando or Costa anywhere near the pitch. Costa only has four appearances ALL season for Valencia. We have to have better options other than him, if Alves or Pepe get hurt we’re in deep shit. Pereira has done well as captain of the resurgent Sporting this season, and Coentrao continues to fight for minutes at giants RM and has played well when called upon. Nelson gets another call after impressing Bento in a few friendlies last year before getting injured. Silvio just returned from being sidelined since November with an injury last week, but he isn’t fully fit to make the squad.

It is nice to see Fernandes back in the team. Bento has recognized his good form of late at Besiktas and he could easily cement his spot in the NT with a good performance (if he gets the minutes). Moutinho’s form has dipped this season for Porto, but I think he has looked much better in 2012, and certainly played excellent against Bosnia. Joao needs to get back to his old form if we are to advance out of the group stage. Veloso has been a consistent starter at DM for Genoa this year and has been a standout player for them. Meireles hasn’t played all that well for Chelsea this year, but AVB has consistently stuck with him. Raul’s position may be the biggest question in the midfield if Fernandes plays well enough. Martins has been playing very solid football for Granada lately, but I don’t think Micael really deserves a spot.

Nani has had his share of recent struggles as well. He was sidelined with a foot injury for about a month and didn’t look himself last week in his first 90’ back. Postiga has only one goal for last placed Zaragoza since the beginning of November, so his form doesn’t look all that promising. Hugo Almeida has been in and out of the starting 11 for Besiktas, but hasn’t done anything to leap Postiga on the depth chart.  Nelson Oliviera gets his first call to the senior NT and I’m happy for him. Based on the other strikers’ performances, there is no reason at all why Oliviera shouldn’t get a shot to be the go to guy up front. If Paulo Bento is complacent with Postiga and Almeida as the only options up front then God help us. It’s now up to Quaresma or Varela to see who will become the first reserve to change the game now that Danny is sadly ruled out of the Euros. Ronaldo is on record pace again for goals in La Liga, so that is another good sign.

Poland is a formidable opponent. Because they are a host of Euro 2012 they made it by default, but they have some impressive results in recent friendlies. They include wins over Norway and Argentina, as well as draws against Germany and Greece. The Poles also pushed us around back in 08’ qualifying, finishing 1st. They are led by the Borussia Dortmund trio of Lewandowski, Blasczykowski, and Piszczek. Along with their world class goalkeeper Szczesny, Poland have a strong squad and generally line up tactically in a 4-4-2. They like to get the ball out wide and send crosses to their tall strikers, so it will be interesting to see how our defense looks after not playing together for a while. Poland didn’t concede more than two goals in a game at all in 2011, so their defense is not easy to break down, and their fullbacks are very talented. With the next and only friendly before we head to Ukraine/Poland being May 26th against Macedonia, this will be one of the last big chances for players to book their place in Bento’s squad for EURO 2012. I predict a 3-2 victory!! Forca Portugal!!!

Raul Meireles scored a crucial goal for Chelsea in their huge win over Manchester City yesterday. Meireles has played all over the midfield for Villas Boas this year, but recently has been preferred as the left attacking midfielder ahead of Frank Lampard. Meireles hit some beautiful passes and tapped in his first goal of the year.  Bosingwa also started the game at right back and looked a bit shaky on defense, but provided some dangerous crosses.  Andre Villas-Boas has struggled with his Chelsea squad all year, and I think it might be the players motivation rather than the coach.  He may have found his solutions with a recent string of victories however.  It is tough to watch this young Portuguese coach being weighed with such pressure in his first season in the Premier League, but I’m sure he knew what he was getting into.  Damn I still dream about what it could have been like this year for Porto in the Champions League if AVB and Falcao stayed.

Nani got back to his scoring ways with a brace in Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Wolverhampton. He has been Man U’s most consistent player all year which has taken Nani’s game to a whole other level. Ferguson has picked him for virtually every game to date even with others like Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia, and Park Ji-Sung all competing on the wing. Sadly United crashed out the Champion’s League to FC Basel 2-1, but Nani was one of the only players to give his team a chance to score with his scintillating runs through the midfield.  Ferguson gives Nani the freedom to roam the pitch whether it is coming back to the ball and playing it out of the back or switching with Rooney and filling in at striker, he has become a total footballer.

I saw we were with the Dutch and honestly I was just happy we didn’t get Spain, but the one team I REALLY wanted to stay away from was Germany. You just go down the list of players they have and I have to say that they are the deepest, most talented and one of the best coached sides I’ve seen in a long time. Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ozil, Gomez, Boateng, it just doesn’t end! They can’t be that happy with the draw either, but the fact that they dominated Netherlands 3-0 in a recent friendly and have had our number in recent tournaments shows that they are still very confident. Germany truly plays as a team, and what scares me the most is that we have to play them first. I’m not saying there is no chance of us getting a draw or even a win, but there is a better chance of us getting off on the wrong foot and maybe losing 2 or 3-0. However, if we prove ourselves and even scrape out a 0-0 draw (which we are known to do), our confidence can go through the roof and propel us to a strong tournament.

The Dutch are undoubtedly a strong team. Van Persie might be the best striker in the world right now, Sneijder is world class, but Kuyt and Robben aren’t getting any younger, and they have been scrambling around with their defensive pairings as of late. They lost to Germany 3-0, lost to Sweden 3-2, and conceded 3 to Hungary as well. They can be beaten, and I think if we play up tempo, pressure, counter attack styled football, then we do indeed have the recipe to beat them. I really do think that each team will need to go for the win in this last group game, and it will just be an amazing one to watch. We have to be in top form to compete with them though, there is absolutely no margin for error against a powerhouse like Netherlands.

And for the forgotten Denmark. Boy, they have to be pissed off! We know for a fact that they are no pushover and they will be very hard to beat, but in round 3, our guys have to want revenge. Two qualifying stages in a row and they got the best of us, now we can kick them out of the Euro’s group stage? Yes, please! Their confidence level is sky high right now however, and they know that they can beat us. Just remember in that most recent game that everyone loves to point their finger at, we didn’t have Pepe or Coentrao at the back. And when those two have been in the lineup we are undefeated in this campaign. Just remember.

Now Bento must establish a firm starting 11 and build some team unity over the next few friendlies. Hopefully our guys can stay healthy throughout the rest of the season. As tough as the group is, every sing game is a must watch, and as a football fan you have to be excited! Forca Portugal!!

Player Grades

Patricio: 6/10- Couldn’t fault him on either of the goals (which were both questionable). Other than that he made a few fine stops throughout the night.

Pereira: 7/10: Did much better defensively, and was more active in the attack. He hit a few nice passes out of the back and really made me forget all about Bosingwa.

Pepe: 8/10- Didn’t have to do quite as much defending as last game, but nonetheless was solid again. Pepe is the world’s best defender in my opinion.  He probably could have defended Bosnia by himself and they wouldn’t have scored 6.

Alves: 7/10- Another good game by Bruno at the back, especially defending corners and set pieces. I think he has a good partnership with Pepe and hopefully it can become as good as Bruno and Carvalho in the last world cup campaign.

Coentrao: 8/10- Yes, he shouldn’t have had his arm up, but it was a harsh penalty. Fabio made up for his mistake on more than one occasion capping his night with a brilliant assist to Postiga. When he can run up and down the wing as he chooses he definitely creates more chances for Ronaldo.

Meireles: 7/10- Much better game by Raul overall. He was in position for tackles defensively, and distributed the ball very well going forward. I think he should get used to playing on the right side of midfield now.

Veloso: 9/10- May just have cemented his spot in the starting eleven from here on out for the Selecao with back to back stellar games. His performance was undeniably brilliant, and so was his goal.

Moutinho: 8/10- That one through ball to Ronaldo that sprung him for his second goal was the exact pass I’ve been waiting for Joao to hit. Moutinho is our X-factor, if he plays well there’s no telling how far we will go next summer.

Ronaldo: 9/10- Truly a captain’s performance. His free kicks honestly seem to be getting better every time he takes one, and that first one ignited our team.  Also pretty much put the game out of reach with his second.

Postiga: 8/10- Two good finishes in a full 90 minutes for Helder. It’s great to see him bounce back quickly after a mediocre first leg.

Nani: 8/10- That laser beam of a goal came out of nowhere and it was just a great reminder of how fast he can change a game. Both Nani and Ronaldo can singlehandedly carry us when they are in top form, they proved that in this game.

Subs

Micael: 7/10- Way better showing by Micael. Terrific assist on Postiga’s goal, and was well positioned many times. Definitely his best game since his debut when he scored twice.

Quaresma: 6/10- Made some nice runs down the wing, but didn’t effect the game too much.

Carlos Martins: 7/10- Came on in the dying minutes, but he had way more important things on his mind and you can’t fault him for that. My thoughts and prayers are with Carlos and his family.

As good as we played, does this performance set this starting 11 in stone for next summer? Or is there still time for Danny or Silvio to bust their way in? Knowing Bento though not much is expected to change and that is fine with me. The most important thing from here on out is that our guys stay healthy. Currently we are very thin at multiple positions, so hopefully some viable subs will come forward over the rest of this season to make our squad deeper and better.

So, where do we go from here? Well the draw is on December 2nd , so we will know our fate then. After that there will be a handful of friendlies to tune up for the tournament. It was a long, bumpy ride, but our place in Euro 2012 is set at last!

Patricio- 8/10: Made a few great saves towards the end of the game to salvage a point.

Pereira- 6/10: He was pretty solid tonight. Didn’t contribute too much going forward however. Also played Ibisevic onsides when he missed his breakaway chance.

Pepe- 9.5/10: Need I say more? Single handedly shut down Bosnia’s attack over and over again. Literally never let Dzeko turn towards goal. He very well may be our most important player in the national team.

Alves- 7/10: He definitely played better than he did in the last two games. He was extremely strong in the air on set piece, but he had a couple miscues towards the end of the game that allowed Bosnia some chances.

Coentrao- 6/10: He took care of his defensive duties for the most part, but he wasn’t as dangerous going forward tonight. He and Ronaldo weren’t always on the same page, but I think we can all expect a lot more out of him at home.

Meireles- 5/10: He had a few decent looks at goal, but he missed way too many tackles and squandered possession a few times. Is he really as good going forward as he used to be, since being used as DM at Chelsea? I’m not so sure.

Veloso- 7/10: I thought Miguel did very well defensively. He filled in well when any of our backline was forward and did a fine job passing out of the back. Deserves a start in the second leg.

Moutinho- 6/10: He pressed up high on the pitch and forced Bosnia into quite a few poor passes. Joao was strong in possession and rarely gave the ball away, but he still didn’t have a real influence in the offensive third. No doubt he is currently struggling with his form.

Ronaldo- 5/10: Say what you want about the pitch, but Ronaldo made quite a few mental mistakes tonight. Many times he should have played the ball across into the box on counter attacks, and instead he tried to do it all himself on that shitty field and scuffed his shot. He must play better in the return leg.

Nani- 6.5/10: I though he was our most dangerous attacker tonight, but he still didn’t get a lot of chances to score for himself. On the ball however, he created a lot of opportunities and sprung our counter attack multiple times, his passing was spot on for how poor the pitch was. Did well backtracking too. Nani should have more of an impact in the return leg on a better field.

Postiga- 5/10: He chased Bosnia’s back line around all night, but once again didn’t do his job of putting the ball in the freaking goal. At least two great opportunities fell to his cleats and he botched them all. Postiga has to take better advantage of these good scoring opportunities.

Subs:
Hugo Almeida- 5/10: Again struggled because of lack of service. Held up play decently though and added some needed energy.

Ruben Micael- 4/10: Came on for Meireles and didn’t do anything positive.

Overall, the way that game ended we should be relived to have salvaged a point away. The match was dominated in possession by us, but the chances to score were very even.

It is all or nothing from here on out.  The first and last knockout round in 2011 comes down to this.  Moutinho vs Pjanic, Pepe vs. Dzeko, Ronaldo vs. Papac.  It will be a blood bath without a doubt, and I expect pretty much the same squad in the return leg.  I wish I could be at The Luz, but lets just hope our home fans and pitch will be the key difference maker. If Pepe plays anywhere near the way he performed last game, then I have little worries about our defense. I really believe that we will pounce early and often on Bosnia and show just how much better we really are. I expect a 2-0 Portugal victory! Please, anything but PKs guys. FORCA PORTUGAL!!

Therefore, we can expect a usual starting eleven of:

Patricio
Periera—Alves—-Pepe—-Coentrao
Micael—-Meireles—-Moutinho
Nani—-Postiga—Ronaldo

I will pull my hair out if Martins starts. He hasn’t played for Granada in weeks, and hasn’t even been a lock to start every game. At least Micael is healthy and getting regular playing time at Zaragoza, although he’s hardly an improvement. I hope that Ronaldo and Nani play a better game than they did against Denmark, or we very well may see similar results when it comes to offense. Meireles and Moutinho need to be in sync and strong in possession, while picking out a few diagonal runs from the wingers. Coentrao is great to have back, and he can really control that left wing and combo with Ronaldo, and we won’t have to worry about him getting beat constantly like Eliseu did defensively. Pepe is also back, and he is without a doubt the most important piece of the puzzle that was missing the last games. His overall influence he has on a match is immense, and I think he makes Alves better as well. Portugal still have a strong team without Danny and Silvio, its just our bench got a lot thinner….and Bento has an excuse to play it safe again.

IF there was a time when Bento has to prove he can rally his troops, the time is now. Jose Bosingwa has announced his retirement from international football while Bento is the coach, the second player in a month to do so. I know we don’t know the whole story behind this, but after the Carvalho incident I am leaning towards Bento being the main culprit of these player-coach problems. Bosingwa and Carvalho deserve to be in the squad if they give their all in a Portugal uniform and Bento is denying them of that in their final years as footballers. Apparently Bento said Bosingwa was “emotionally unstable”, so Jose pointed out how Bento was suspended for 6 months back in 2000 involving an incident with the referee and claimed “he doesn’t deserve to lead a group of men…”. If Bento doesn’t continue to win, these problems will almost certainly send him packing as the Portugal coach.

Goal Keepers: Beto, Eduardo, Rui Patricio

Defenders: Bruno Alves, Pepe, Rolando, Sereno, Fabio Coentrao, Joao Pereira, Silvio

Midfielders: Carlos Martins, Joao Moutinho, Miguel Veloso, Raul Meireles, Ruben Amorim, Ruben Micael

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Danny, Hugo Almeida, Helder Postiga, Nani, Nuno Gomes, Quaresma.

And honestly why did we expect anything different? Bento called the usual 23 man roster, and I can’t really blame him. Without any major players missing (I consider Pepe and Coentrao major) Portugal is undefeated in Qualifiers. Pepe and Coentrao will definitely sure up the back line, but still no Bosingwa. Itis painfully clear that we most likely won’t be seeing Jose in a Portugal uniform for the Euro Championships if we survive the playoff. I still can’t believe how a player like Martins, who is over the hill in my opinion for international football, can make the squad when he hasn’t played at all recently because of injury and considering how poorly he has played recently for our team he should in no way be an option. I personally would have called Machado or Andre Santos instead. Bento really needs to rethink the midfield because Martins and Micael have little chance of having a positive effect on this game, leaving Veloso the only option at holding mid and moving Miereles up a bit more.

It’s obvious Bento doesn’t want to mess with his system and the players he think fit it, but it’s hard to ignore talent that could be used consistently like Danny, Bosingwa, Carvalho, and even Wilson Eduardo. Either way, Pepe and Coentrao are back, and Postiga is starting to score more goals, so I still really like our chances of making it to the Euros. More to come in the lead up to the playoffs. FORCA PORTUGAL!!

Player Ratings

Rui Particio: 7/10- Couldn’t really fault him on either goals and made some terrific saves to keep us in the game.

Joao Periera: 5/10- Was beat one on one right on the edge of the box by Krohn Delhi that scored Denmark’s first goal. Not a good performance at all from Joao.  He passed well out of the back though.

Rolando: 4/10- Caught out of position a few times and a hit a bunch of poor passes out of the back. It really pissed me off that it was he who deflected the first goal by Denmark into the corner of the net, it wasn’t his fault, but it was just the icing on the cake. I hope Pepe gets healthy.

Bruno Alves: 3/10- Was no where near where he should have been when Denmark scored their second. He was better in the air, but him and Rolando form an absolutely horrible partnership. He has always played pretty good when paired with Pepe or Carvalho, but his form  has noticeably dipped recently.

Eliseu: 3/10- Just as bad defensively, and no where near as good offensively as the last game. Well beaten on the second goal, and unless there are an abundance of injuries again, he has no place in the side. Romedahl just ran right past him when he set up Bedtner.

Martins: 4/10- Had the best opportunities to score and did nothing with them. Also didn’t sync well at all with Meireles or Moutinho. He needs to be replaced and fast.

Meireles: 4/10- Poor performance by Raul. Wasted that wide open shot right on the 6 yard box at the end, and didn’t do anything really to help the team out in the offensive third.

Moutinho: 5/10- Had a few nice tackles, but once again his passing was off and he didn’t have any creative touches. He never seemed to have time to pick his passes.

Nani: 6/10- Nani looked like he was the only player capable of producing offense for Portugal. He drifted more inside as the game went on, but still came up with little results. He made some nice runs down the wing though.

Ronaldo: 7/10- Apparently he was hampered by the injury e picked up earlier in training, but what a masterpiece of a goal. Just a brilliant free kick. But other than that his touch was off and he tried way too many backheals that downright failed. Like Nani, he troubled to find space to get shots off.  When Quaresma came on he moved to the middle next to Postiga, but still couldn’t find his groove.

Postiga: 5/10- Definitely a lack of service so you can’t fault him for that. But I think he could have done better to come back to the ball and hold up play better or make a neat turn towards goal, but it was not to be.

Subs

Quaresma: 4/10- Not too sure why he played left wing/back, but he didn’t contribute all that much. After Ronaldo scored and we were pressuring again he completely botched the cross when we had everyone in the box and it stood to be our last chance.

Nuno Gomes: 3/10- Didn’t have any effect on the game. I think he is passed international football at this stage (He makes me think Liedson is too). He has no speed or acceleration at all to create anything on his own, that’s the main problem, especially when there is a lack of service from the midfield.

Miguel Veloso: 5/10- Did a better job defending than Eliseu, but we all know that he is not a left back. Can he become the full time defensive midfielder?

We have some real problems on our hands.  Against more athletic and organized teams, our midfield does not stand a chance right now of breaking down any top defense.  We definitely need some creativity and Bento has no choice but to try Coentrao or Danny in the midfield with Meireles and Moutinho.  Coentrao and Danny are better passers and much more dangerous all around than Martins, Veloso, and Micael combined.  This has to be the game that convinces Bento to try Danny, it just has to be.  Even if he switches to a 4-2-3-1, it will give us more space out wide if defenses have to watch Danny right behind our striker.

It just never seemed like we had a calm possession of the ball deep in Denmark’s half.  Never did our midfielders pick out the diagonal runs by our forwards.  They just tried to force it through the middle or hit a long cross and pray.  Also, the counter attack was unusually dull tonight.  We never got a really good goal scoring chance, and if it wasn’t for Ronaldo’s brilliant goal we would have been embarrassingly shut out.

I am still not all that concerned with defense as long as we get fit and Bento comes to his senses.  Carvalho and Bosingwa need to return to the squad now.  I will be honest that I didn’t think we would miss Carvalho that much with Alves taking over, but I was soooo wrong.  Carvalho is a smarter defender and better passer than Alves.  I still think Bosingwa can play better at right back than Periera if he is in good form.  As long as Pepe and Coentrao are healthy, we have a fighting chance.

We need to give younger strikers the chance on the senior national team.  I don’t care if it is Orlando Sa, Rudy, or Wilson Eduardo or whoever, but they need to be featured over Nuno Gomes.  I hope Hugo Almeida will come back and regain his old form, but there is no reason not to give these younger guys a chance in a few upcoming friendlies.  I feel that the squad could really use a bit of freshness.

Denmark kicked our ass, but it is up to Bento on how our guys bounce back.  This could be the wake up call our team needed, and better now than in the playoffs or the start of the tourney.  It looks like we will be playing either the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Turkey or Estonia.  There should be quite a few interesting match ups.  The Playoff Draw is Thursday so we will know then.   Other than that, I would not panic just yet, we will return to the Portugal of old once we get healthy, and winning will ensue hopefully.  We need to keep our heads held high and put in two good matches next month.  Forca Portugal.