Having dispatched Spain with an exhilarating display of attacking football, Portugal aim to show the world it was no flash in the pan and they are truly back among the world elite as they take on Argentina in Geneva on Wednesday.
Paulo Bento’s start as head coach of Portugal’s national team could hardly have been more encouraging. Two wins shortly after taking the post got the Seleccao’s Euro 2012 qualification campaign back on track. A month later, and a spectacular 4-0 demolition of World Champions Spain in Lisbon further pushed Carlos Queiroz’s troubled reign as Portugal coach into the distant memory banks.
How did Bento bring about such a radical change in fortunes? By giving full rein to Portugal’s natural inclination for highly technical attack-minded football – that’s how. With offensive talent such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani to call on, anything else can almost be considered a football crime.
Although Queiroz can justifiably point to bad luck with injuries throughout his time in charge, and especially in South Africa where he had to make do without Nani and Jose Bosingwa as well as a clearly unfit Pepe, his biggest mistake was his progressive adoption of an ultra-defensive approach.
You could make an argument that to an extent, the tactical shift was an effective one. Preceding and during the 2010 World Cup the Seleccao, whose defending ability has not traditionally been their strong point, achieved the remarkable record of conceding just 3 goals in 20 games.
The problem was that Portugal’s watertight defence came at a heavy price. Goals dried up at the other end of the pitch. Things reached their nadir in Portugal’s painfully laboured attempts to get back on level terms in Cape Town against Spain after falling behind to David Villa’s goal. The Seleccao failed to muster anything resembling a threat as the Spaniards easily kept out a team that had lost its principal weapon – the attacking creativity that had seen it voted the most entertaining team at World Cup 2006.
Another of Queiroz’s chief sins was his singular failure to get anything like the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo, the irony of which was all the more galling given that it was Queiroz who, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant, had been credited with harnessing all the Portuguese phenomen’s prowess as he enjoyed his outstanding 42-goal Champions League and Premiership winning season at Manchester United.
Ronaldo’s pointed criticism of Queiroz’s unambitious substitutions in that Spain defeat signalled the end was nigh for the experienced coach, and few in Portugal lamented his departure from the post.
Enter Paulo Bento and it was immediately a case of new coach, new philosophy. A high-energy and technically gifted midfield threesome of Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles and Carlos Martins was immediately installed, with the performances of the first of this trio making a mockery of Queiroz’s decision not to take him to South Africa.
The short accurate passing game, with the ball in constant movement, returned in all its glory. With attacking full-backs Fabio Coentrao and Joao Pereira lending support to arguably the world’s two most potent wingers in Ronaldo and Nani, suddenly Portugal were transformed into a team with multi-pronged attacking thrusts that would test the most resilient of defences. Just ask Spain.
Next up it’s another stern test of the “new Portugal” as the Seleccao take on Argentina for the first time in just about four decades. Victory for Portugal against the South American powerhouse and people will really start to take notice.
How did Bento bring about such a radical change in fortunes? By giving full rein to Portugal’s natural inclination for highly technical attack-minded football – that’s how. With offensive talent such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani to call on, anything else can almost be considered a football crime.
Although Queiroz can justifiably point to bad luck with injuries throughout his time in charge, and especially in South Africa where he had to make do without Nani and Jose Bosingwa as well as a clearly unfit Pepe, his biggest mistake was his progressive adoption of an ultra-defensive approach.
You could make an argument that to an extent, the tactical shift was an effective one. Preceding and during the 2010 World Cup the Seleccao, whose defending ability has not traditionally been their strong point, achieved the remarkable record of conceding just 3 goals in 20 games.
The problem was that Portugal’s watertight defence came at a heavy price. Goals dried up at the other end of the pitch. Things reached their nadir in Portugal’s painfully laboured attempts to get back on level terms in Cape Town against Spain after falling behind to David Villa’s goal. The Seleccao failed to muster anything resembling a threat as the Spaniards easily kept out a team that had lost its principal weapon – the attacking creativity that had seen it voted the most entertaining team at World Cup 2006.
Another of Queiroz’s chief sins was his singular failure to get anything like the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo, the irony of which was all the more galling given that it was Queiroz who, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant, had been credited with harnessing all the Portuguese phenomen’s prowess as he enjoyed his outstanding 42-goal Champions League and Premiership winning season at Manchester United.
Ronaldo’s pointed criticism of Queiroz’s unambitious substitutions in that Spain defeat signalled the end was nigh for the experienced coach, and few in Portugal lamented his departure from the post.
Enter Paulo Bento and it was immediately a case of new coach, new philosophy. A high-energy and technically gifted midfield threesome of Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles and Carlos Martins was immediately installed, with the performances of the first of this trio making a mockery of Queiroz’s decision not to take him to South Africa.
The short accurate passing game, with the ball in constant movement, returned in all its glory. With attacking full-backs Fabio Coentrao and Joao Pereira lending support to arguably the world’s two most potent wingers in Ronaldo and Nani, suddenly Portugal were transformed into a team with multi-pronged attacking thrusts that would test the most resilient of defences. Just ask Spain.
Next up it’s another stern test of the “new Portugal” as the Seleccao take on Argentina for the first time in just about four decades. Victory for Portugal against the South American powerhouse and people will really start to take notice.
