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| Monday, 02 April 2012 11:40 |
Why the Liga’s best player will not be in Portugal squad at Euro 2012The odd case of Hugo Viana Lately numerous opinion makers have been discussing how ludicrous it is that Hugo Viana will not start at next summer’s Euro 2012. Indeed it looks unlikely he will even be called up to Portugal’s squad for the tournament. The Braga midfielder has been quite possibly the best player in the league this season, so the question of his absence has to be posed.
In football, as in so many other areas in life, context is everything. Whether he’s a club manager or the coach of a national team, it’s absolutely critical that the players are chosen according to the manager’s ideas, and not just because they excelled at their (previous) club. Otherwise, he would be left with a bunch of players with little or nothing in common, creating chaotic scenarios that we see in football far too often (Gian Piero Gasperini’s case at Inter immediately springs to mind*), in which the manager has the thankless task of being forced to try to concoct some game plan that accommodates everyone.
In case you’re wondering, that’s the ideal way to ruin a team and their manager. Just look at how Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester City ended up spending so much money in unsuccessful newcomers (from Wayne Bridge to Shevchenk or Torres, from Robinho to Sahin, from Carroll to Charlie Adam), most of which they couldn’t get rid of. As for national teams, just think of why the performances from Messi, Ronaldo, Lampard or Gerrard (to name but a few) draw so much criticism from their own fans.
As decisive as Viana has been in Braga’s exhilarating season, it’s important to analyse if his traits, tendencies and overall game fit into Paulo Bento’s ideas. Regardless of how much you may or may not agree with Bento’s ideas, it’s up to him to make the decision in the team’s best interest and, therefore, there will be no discussion of his perspectives.
1. Braga’s tactics Leonardo Jardim’s Braga usually play a 4x2x3x1, with Custodio as the holding midfielder and Viana alongside him. Additionally, Lima is a fast, mobile forward and Mossoro provides the link-up between midfield and attack. Viana’s precise passing offers an alternate route to Mossoro, allowing Braga to quickly break away by bypassing Mossoro with long passes to Lima or Alan. Defensively, Braga tend to be quite conservative, dropping back and usually creating two banks of four. There are numerous players around Viana to cover for him when he strays for an attack, for instance.2. Portugal’s tactics Again, this issue does not revolve around whether this is the best option for Portugal; rather if Hugo Viana is a suitable pick. The Portuguese eleven has traditionally lined up in a 4x3x3 for quite some time now. Paulo Bento has stuck to Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles, with Miguel Veloso lately getting the nod ahead of Carlos Martins. It seems clear that Bento favours a team that is capable of exerting pressure higher up when necessary, a job which Hugo Viana’s attributes do not enable him to do. Unlike Braga, Portugal does not have a typical regista, which means both midfielders (ahead of Veloso) must defend and attack. If we take a closer look, Bento has been calling up players capable of doing just that, such as Meireles, Moutinho, Ruben Micael or Ruben Amorim. Even Castro or Andre Santos have been called up precisely because they fit the bill. With so many offensive-minded players at the back (Joao Pereira and Fabio Coentrao, for instance) and wingers who rarely help out defensively (Nani, Ronaldo, Quaresma), it’s up to the midfielders to provide coverage, and not the other way around.
3. Portugal’s approach It only seems logical to infer from Bento’s stint so far that he will be going for a different approach from Carlos Queiroz. Instead of sitting and waiting for opponents, the Seleccao will be looking to stifle teams and play with a high(er) defensive line. Again, unfortunately this does not bode well for Hugo Viana Viana, who is particularly prone to tiring out mid-game and does not usually do well in such sides. Besides, Viana is vulnerable to being muscled out of the park (the Besiktas tie is proof enough), a threat he will face in most matches of the European Championship.
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As a contrast look at this excellent web site (in English) and compare it to ESPN3 announcer's poor work.
For me I prefer him instead of any of these 3: Machado, Amorim and Micael!
In the End it's Bento who will decide!
What I mean is, there is nobody "ready" to fill in for our center backs. I guess we have a few options waiting in the wings, but they need time to work with the Seleccao to be most effective, and right now we can't say that we have anybody that has done that. The options you've listed play fairly well at the club level, but in truth we have little idea how they would play at the international level because they have hardly any experience playing with Portugal, especially not in a major tournament.
If you look at Real, they play a simlar high pressure game plan like Bento philioshy.
Often xavi alonso is a spring board to Real Madrid counter attacks and make excellent deliveries into the box, espically from set plays.
If Hugo Viana could be a poor mans Xavi Alonoso for Portugal, making that transition between attack and defence. That would leave Moutinho and Meireles as ball winners in the mid who would provide coverage for attacking full backs.
The only issue i would have if viana was starting would be the lack of pace in the defense, particulary Alves / Viana would get beat in couterattacks.
OT Am I the only one that watches the Liga on ESPN3 and thinks their ESPN3 announcer sucks? 2 years now and he still says Horay Heyzooz instead of Jorge Jesus. He acts like he knows the league but its obvious he reads blogs and Wikipedia for his facts.
Meireles is definitely at his best when playing for Portugal since his attributes are crucial to our style of play. He is an intelligent decision maker, great at pressing, and most importantly, he excels at quick, one touch passing, and swift transitions. Meireles is most effective when he is the most advanced midfielder where he can make his runs from deep and support the front 3.
However, he does have some flaws to his game. First, he is a very, very poor defender. When playing as a holding midfielder, his excellent positional sense helps him make some timely interceptions, but when it comes from making the tackle, Meireles is terrible.
Manuel Fernandes, however, is the complete opposite. Manuel Fernandes is much more athletic/physical and he is a much better tackler. But, unlike Meireles, he is not as disciplined with his positioning. He loves to bomb forward and he loves to make the killer pass. While Meireles works hard off the ball and distributes it quickly with his teammates, Fernandes is very comfortable with the ball at his feet since he likes to dictate the play.
Both Manuel Fernandes and Raul Meireles are very good players, but they are not ideal defensive midfielders. They are better suited as the most advanced midfielder in a 4-3-3. Fernandes is a more well rounded, dynamic midfielder, while Meireles is an intelligent, disciplined, technical midfielder.
As I stated in my previous post, Veloso will be a huge liability against good teams so Carrico should definitely be used as the defensive midfielder. Pepe is a monster when playing as a midfielder, but he can be a little reckless. Plus we'll need him in defense. Carrico is better technically and more disciplined than Pepe.
My starting 11 vs Germany
--------------------------Postiga----------------------------------------
Ronaldo----------------------------------------------------Nani
-------------------------------------Meireles------------------------------
----------------------Moutinho----------------------------------------------
Coentrao-----------------Carrico----------------------Pereira------------
------------------Alves-----------------------Pepe-----------------------
----------------------------------Patricio---------------------------------------
Admittedly our central backs are the most vulnerable because it would be a miracle if neither Alves or Pepe get suspended for a match.
i like hugo viana, his a cool cat
Looking at the Seleccao, I think Bento has for the most part demonstrated astute judgement in his player selections. I'm reminded that many people used to question why Meireles always got the nod ahead of everybody else and the reason is because he does what Portugal need him to do: contribute in the attack but always be there to put in the crucial tackle when needed. He's one of the hardest workers on the field, and as Vasco pointed out, Portugal would struggle if its midfielders didn't stick to their defensive duties. Believe me when I say that our defense is not good enough to hold off the likes of Germany and the Netherlands if all of our outfield players are just trying to score and not worrying about keeping the ball out of their own net.
In my opinion, Manuel Fernandes is a better option for Portugal than Veloso right now, but the one thing that he doesn't do quite as well is defend. He works really hard, but mostly going forward and I think Bento is already decided upon a holding midfield type of player (like Veloso) that could also contribute to the attack if necessary.
Bento is quite stubborn with how he picks his team but I can't really complain as long as he's assigning the right jobs to the right players and for the most part he's done that. Sure, I'd like to see a different player get thrown in the mix every now and then just to see what they've got, but in the end we need a squad that plays as a cohesive unit to go the Ukraine in June and Bento is building that as well as he's able.
I agree with Jon that if Viana were to get called up, he would be Moutinho's back up. Meireles' back up is most likely going to be Manuel Fernandes or Carlos Martins, although they could also conceivably come on for Veloso as well.
While we're on the subject of substitutes, Portugal could really use a sub or two at center back. Think about it....other than Rolando (who is really not a great option off the bench), who else do we have if Pepe or B. Alves go down or get suspended during the tournament? Scary thought.
Veloso is not the answer at DM either.. I think Pepe is best for this position but we need Carvalho back. If the FPF knows what's best for the team they'll force him back.
Hugo Viana is a classic deep lying playmaker like Xabi Alonso or Andrea Pirlo, and when he's on, his passing range is among the best in the world. But as you mentioned, he does not fit Portugal's quick passing, high pressure playing style. The only player I could see him replace is Moutinho, but that definitely isn't going to happen.
Moutinho is a tireless worker off the ball, and he is excellent at maintaining possession and controlling the the tempo of the game. Meireles or Fernandes will likely be the most advanced midfielder, and that really isn't where Viana excels. Miguel Veloso will likely be the holding midfielder, but like Viana he is more of a deep-lying playmaker, and this worries me.
Against quality teams like Germany and Holland, Veloso is going to be our weakest link. He is way too slow to be our only holding midfielder, so hopefully Bento will use Daniel Carrico since he'll be much better at protecting the defense.
If I were Bento, my starters would be Moutinho, Meireles/Fernandes, and Carrico. Veloso would be a more defensive replacement for Meireles. Viana would be a back up for Moutinho.
Waddle won football writers player of the year 93/4. What a turnip.