Portuguese Possibilities

Every time an international competition comes around the same teams are touted as possible victors, from Europe it is always the Germans, Italians and French, with some possible mention of the likes of perennial underachievers Spain and Holland (usually just to declare that whilst both should do well, they consistently fail to perform).

All very well and good but this time the team, according to Blue Square Sports Betting, ranked as joint third favourites for Euro 2008 is none other than the might of Portugal.

A quick look down the Portuguese squad immediately reveals the kind of talent that makes such a position seem justified. Led by the mercurial talents of Christiano Ronaldo (surely a shoe-in for world footballer of the year) Quaresma and of course Deco, Portgual have the kind of strength across the squad that makes a genuine threat seem possible.

Despite naming a vast number of players as ‘Forwards’ (eight compared to just five ‘midfielders’) Portugal’s problem could, again, be putting the ball in the back of the net. This is a new generation of Portuguese talent though, the final remnants of the ‘Golden Generation’ are gone, Figo and Pauleta are not included. With this new breed comes a new type of player, Ronaldo, Quaresma, Deco, Nani, Simao, all are the type of potentially goalscoring attacking midfielder/winger that attacks from awkward positions for opposition defences.

Another factor behind Portugal’s low odds is the presence of Phil Scolari on their touchline. The World Cup winning manager is undoubtedly a great talent, and for some years now has been something of a scourge to English managers. Scolari’s record is impeccable, and he has gained something of a heightened status in England due to his high-profile rejection of the job of England manager before Steve McLaren took the reigns.

It is not just going forward that Portugal have considerable talent. Carvalho, Bosingwa and Ferreira (all Chelsea players) can all claim to be amongst the best defenders in the world, but they will have to work hard to protect a goalkeeper that is at best inconsistent and at worst plain awful. Having said that, though, Brazil haven’t exactly got a tradition of outstanding goalkeepers, and there is a lot in common between the Portuguese approach to the game and that which has been so successful for the Brazilians.

As it was for Manchester United, Portugal’s success probably rests largely on the shoulders of Christiano Ronaldo. Despite the clear talent surrounding him, Ronaldo offers something different, something better than that offered by any other team in the competition. Portugal will benefit from the fact that their set up is not all that dissimilar to Man Utd’s, an attack based around pace and flair, with no fixed focal point, but potentially goals from any part of the pitch.

If Portugal are going to go as far as their odds suggest (7/1* at the time of writing), Ronaldo needs to stay fit and he needs to stay in form, if he survives the group stage unscathed Portugal are as good a bet as any.

* All odds taken from Blue Square Football Betting unless otherwise stated. Odds subject to change.