After Portugal lost 3-0 to the Netherlands on Monday in an international friendly, questions have been asked about their ability to challenge at the World Cup, DEAN WORKMAN explores.
Portugal may be reigning European champions after their triumph in France in 2016 but with their reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo, an ageing squad and players struggling at club level, will they be able to challenge the likes of Brazil and Germany in Russia?
Ronaldo has been in scintillating form in 2018. The Real Madrid winger is currently having his best ever start of a calendar year with 21 goals and four assists in 13 games at club level. He has also recently got on the score sheet for A Seleção das Quinas in a 2-1 friendly win over Egypt. The forward scored two late goals to cancel out Mohamed Salah’s opener.
The Portuguese captain, however, did not have the best of games on Monday as his side slumped to a 3-0 loss against a Dutch side who failed to qualify for the World Cup and were playing just their second game under new manager Ronald Koeman. Without Ronaldo on song, the Portugal attack looked toothless. This reliance on their most capped player could prove a hindrance against teams like Argentina or France who have multiple players who can make the difference.
Ronaldo will turn 34 this year and he is just one of a number of players in Fernando Santos’ team who are the wrong side of thirty. Bruno Alves (36), Rolando (32), José Fonte (34), Ricardo Quaresma (34) and Nani (31) are all mainstays of the side and are all entering the twilight of their careers. After another gruelling club, season will these players have enough in the tank at the World Cup? Only time will tell.
The European Champions also have a number of players who were important in their triumph two years ago who aren’t playing regular football at their clubs. Andre Gomes and Renato Sanches are both struggling at club level for form and playing time.
Gomes, who is at Barcelona, has openly described his time at the Catalan club as a ‘hell’ having only made 25 appearances in all competitions this season, with 15 of them coming from the bench. He has also been subjected to jeering from the Barca supporters.
Sanches has endured a nightmare this season! Following a starring role at Euro 2016, the midfielder earned a big money move to Bayern Munich, but he struggled for match time last season at the German giants, prompting a move to English club Swansea City. The 20-year-old failed to cement a spot in the team and put in some abject performances which have highlighted his struggles. The former Benfica man now looks likely to miss out on Portugal’s World Cup squad altogether.
Portugal’s route to winning the Euro’s in 2016 was unconventional, to say the least. They managed to qualify for the knockout stages despite failing to win a single game in the group stages. They then needed extra time to beat Croatia 1-0 in the round of 16 and penalties to beat Poland in the quarter-finals. They beat Wales 2-0 in a tight game in the semi-finals and again needed extra time to beat France 1-0 in the final.
Will they be able to replicate this at football’s showpiece event? With Ronaldo in your side, anything is possible but the cracks are there to see in Santos’ team and considering the number of top quality opposition they will face in Russia, a repeat of their 2016 success is looking unlikely.
Photo: Salvatore Di Nolfi/Backpagepix
