Portugal World Cup Squad Preview

Written by Tony Concannon Friday, 21 May 2010 12:11

World Cup Squad Previews

It seems obvious to say, but Portugal's World Cup hopes will rest on the considerable shoulders of 2008  Fifa World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo. Their squad surely lacks the depth to make a serious challenge in South Africa, and big questions remain about coach Carlos Quieroz.

At one stage in qualifying it looked like Portugal would not even make it to South Africa, but a late surge saw them edge out Sweden and Hungary to finish second behind Denmark, and earn a play-off against Bosnia-Hercegovina. Without Ronaldo, they scraped through both games 1-0. The play-off win shows they have some fighting spirit (or luck judging by the highlights) and any team with Ronaldo in is always dangerous.

Scoring goals has been the main problem of late, and the Portugese have turned to  Liedson of Sporting Lisbon. Similar to Deco and Pepe, Liedson was born in Brazil but has become a naturalized Portugese citizen. There is also a recall for Danny of Zenit St. Petersburg.

Chelsea's Deco and Atletico Madrid's Simao provide experienced support in midfield and Manchester United's Nani will be neither terrible or amazing as he has been ruled out by a shoulder injury. All in the same game. One surprise was the omission of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Moutinho, who played in most of the qualifiers. His place is taken by clubmate, and ex-Spurs, Pompey and Rangers man Pedro Mendes. Keep an eye on another Sporting star Miguel Veloso. Good player, nice hair.

The defence is marshalled by Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho, with his team-mate Paulo Ferreira also in the squad. Real Madrid's $35 million defender Pepe is also named, despite not playing since December because of damaged knee ligaments. A couple of surprising call-ups were Deportivo La Coruna's Ze Castro, who didn't feature in any of the qualifiers, and Ricardo Costa, who has just completed a move from Lille to Valencia.

Unfortunately, there was no place for Benfica goalkeeper Quim. Where do I start with that one? Maybe it goes to show that once you get to a certain age there is no guarantee of a place for Quim.

Anyway, the Portugese will have to use all of their experience and expertise to get out of difficult Group G, where they will face North Korea, Ivory Coast and Brazil. The majority of the  Portugese squad, although not quite vintage, are fast approaching their sell-by date, but with Ronaldo around to give the team a kick, opposition defenders could well be left with a headache the next morning. The opening game with Ivory Coast on June 15 is vital. 

Portugal's 23-man squad for the World Cup finals:

Goalkeepers: Eduardo (Braga), Daniel Fernandes (Iraklis), Beto (Porto).

Defenders: Miguel (Valencia), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Bruno Alves (Porto), Rolando (Porto), Ricardo Costa (Valencia), Duda (Malaga), Fabio Coentrao (Benfica).

Midfielders: Pedro Mendes (Sporting), Pepe (Real Madrid), Tiago (Atletico Madrid), Deco (Chelsea), Raul Meireles (Porto), Miguel Veloso (Sporting).

Forwards: Simao Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid), Danny (Zenit St Petersburg), Liedson (Sporting), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Ruben Amorim (Benfica)

Comments (2)

Paul Quinn said:

... What? Eh... no, I don't see any connection at all. I hope they don't live to regret not taking the Benfica keeper. To my mind, it doesn't matter how big your hands are, there's no substitute for Quim. Yes, without Quim it might get a bit hairy around the box.

May 21, 2010

Tony Concannon said:

... Yeah... with no more Quim and a tight back line, the only fun may come from those two upfront... but what a pair, Ronaldo and Nani!

May 21, 2010