World Cup preview: Portugal

The Road To The World Cup

As they seem to do all too often for a team loaded with such talent, Portugal took the long route through qualification by finishing second in Group F, one point adrift of Russia.

Unless you were living under a rock - or are a firm believer that Lionel Messi is the world’s best player and thus can’t stand anything related to Cristiano Ronaldo - then you know Portugal booked their ticket to Brazil thanks to a virtuoso performance from the Real Madrid star in a play-off victory over Sweden.

His hat-trick in the second leg was great. The Portuguese commentary was better.

More recently, however, the Portuguese trail to the World Cup has been derailed by a rather large speed bump that was, apparently, born out of Ghanaian witchcraft. Ronaldo is dealing with tendinitis in his knee, an injury that a witch doctor from Ghana claims is his doing.

It's a long, scary road to Brazil.

Group Stage Schedule

Formation: 4-3-3

As noted above, the Portuguese side is rife with talented players, and the current group is perfectly suited to play in this formation.

Across the board, Portugal’s defenders are great going forward. Be it providing crosses from the flanks (Fabio Coentrao and Joao Pereira) or being a threat from set pieces (Bruno Alves and Pepe). But when it comes time to play the big boys of the competition, will the back-four be able to shut down the opposing strikers?

Given their preferred style of play - quick, counter-attacking football - that is a crucial point.

Willing to sacrifice possession in favour of hitting teams on the break, Portugal’s speed out wide with Ronaldo and Nani always makes them a threat to fashion something out of nothing.

As we saw against Sweden, it was three long, defense-splitting passes that created the openings for Ronaldo to go on and score his goals. In each case, he was the only man forward.

While the freedom granted to Ronaldo is certainly a positive going forward, it is something that can be exploited by other (better) teams when the ball is going in the other direction. With Ronaldo often allowed to roam up front, this not only puts a physical strain on the others to cover extra defensive ground in his absence, but it also has the potential to create plenty of space for teams that can move the ball quickly and efficiently.

Manager: Paulo Bento

Paulo Bento has been somewhat of a revelation for the Portuguese national team since replacing Carlos Queiroz in September of 2010. Inheriting a side in turmoil during Euro 2012 qualifying, the 44-year-old wasted no time putting his stamp on the team, moving Ronaldo from centre-forward and pushing him back to his preferred wing position while also making changes to the midfield trio that has worked wonders so far.

His biggest test has come off the pitch though, as he endured high-profile bust-ups with both Ricardo Carvalho and Jose Bosingwa.

The two veterans were removed from the national side, and it is a testament to the faith Bento’s players have in him that they fully supported him in the wake of those decisions. Indeed, he has been hailed as a manager who is capable of building strong relationships with his group, making them feel comfortable and creating a strong environment inside the locker room.

The fact that he coached many of them during his time at Sporting Lisbon (Rui Patrício, Miguel Veloso and João Moutinho - and was even a teammate of Ronaldo’s at the club) has certainly helped.

Projected Starting XI

GK: Rui Patricio

LB: Fabio Coentrao

CB: Bruno Alves

CB: Pepe

RB: Joao Pereira

CM: Joao Moutinho

CM: Raul Meireles

CM: William Carvalho

LW: Cristiano Ronaldo

RW: Nani

FW: Helder Postiga

Projected Substitutes

GK: Eduardo

GK: Beto

DF: Ricardo Costa

DF: Luis Neto

DF: Andre Almeida

MF: Ruben Amorim

MF: Miguel Veloso

MF: Rafa

FW: Varela

FW: Vieirinha 

FW: Eder

FW: Hugo Almeida

The Captain: Cristiano Ronaldo

It can be argued that no team is more reliant on one player than Portugal. 

But what a player to rely on. 

The best player in the world at the moment (sorry, Lionel) Cristiano Ronaldo is the undisputed talisman of the side and has the ability to single-handedly ensure Portugal enjoy a very deep run in next year’s competition - just ask Sweden what he’s capable of.

We could present a long list of adjectives to describe the superstar, but by now, you know them all. Instead, here’s a look at some of the numbers compiled by CR7:

• 31 goals in 31 La Liga matches with Real Madrid this season. That's correct, he scored one goal per game, an utterly ridiculous rate.

• A Champions League record 17 (!) goals in just 11 games en route to winning the competition.

• 65 goals for both club and country this season, in 59 matches. In other words, more than defeated Ballon d'Or nominees Lionel Messi (43) and Franck Ribery (20) combined.

Despite what Zlatan Ibrahimovic thinks, it’s numbers like those that should make us all very excited to see Ronaldo and Portugal at the World Cup. As long as he’s on the pitch, Portugal always have a chance to win.

Maybe the crazy witch doctor is on to something.

The Star: Someone other than Cristiano Ronaldo?

If he was not the team’s captain, this space would obviously belong to the Real Madrid goal-machine. Alas, we need to find someone else to fill the role of Portuguese star in his absence.

Perhaps the one man with the necessary ability to do so is AS Monaco midfielder Joao Moutinho.

The diminutive 27-year-old has become vital to the team’s success under Paulo Bento, as his ability to pick the perfect - often audacious - pass makes him one of Europe’s best playmakers. With Ronaldo garnering all of the attention following the play-off victory over Sweden, it’s easy to forget that Moutinho was the architect of both the first and third goal.

As Andy Brassell notes, “When he rolls, so do Portugal.”

The Young Gun: William Carvalho

While the squad doesn't boast much youth, there is one fresh face that could play an important role in Brazil.

That is 22-year-old William Carvalho.

The latest prodigy in a long list of talented players to emerge from the Sporting Lisbon academy, the holding midfielder is seen by many as the next big thing in Portuguese soccer.

Manchester United certainly seem to believe the hype, as they are being linked with a hefty bid for the youngster in the hopes of sorting out their disastrous midfield situation.

With so much talent going forward, Carvalho could become vital to Bento's plans as a foil for the more attacking players in the squad, allowing them to burst forward with confidence knowing that he can mop up behind them.

The Swan Song: Helder Postiga

One of the greatest issues that has plagued the Portuguese squad since the ‘Golden Generation’ is the inability to find a bona fide striker to lead the attack and be counted on to score consistently. You need only to look at the team’s willingness to push Ronaldo - a natural winger - into the role of lone striker as an indication that there has been a gaping hole at the position since the retirement of Pauleta.

At 31 years of age, Helder Postiga has had plenty of chances to fill that void, with varying degrees of success. While he has scored some important goals - against England in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004, most notably - he has never been able to solidify himself as Portugal’s No. 9.

Postiga has often battled with Hugo Almeida to claim the place in the starting lineup, and while he has earned more caps (66), you would be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks he is a significantly better option than his teammate.

Brazil will almost certainly be the final chance to prove his worth.

Three Questions

1. The one question that really matters in this discussion: how far can Cristiano Ronaldo carry this team? Will he be able to inspire the squad and help them break the label of perennial underachievers?
2. Can someone (anyone) step up and help to take some of the goal-scoring burden off the shoulders of Ronaldo? The squad is loaded with talent throughout, it’s time someone other than Ronaldo steps up on the biggest stage.
3. In a grueling competition with little rest between matches, is there enough quality on the bench should someone in the starting XI suffer an injury?

Trivial Matters

Nicknames: A Selecção, Os Navegadores.

Most caps: Luis Figo (127).

Top scorers: Pauleta, Ronaldo (49).

First international: December 18, 1921. Spain 3 - Portugal 1.

World Cup appearances: 6, beginning in 1966.

Best World Cup result: Third, in 1966.

Your Moment of Futebol

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