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| Wednesday, 23 May 2012 09:35 |
Carlos Martins out of Euro 2012, Hugo Viana called upInjury forces Martins to miss tournament Hugo Viana, who was controversially left out of Portugal’s squad for Euro 2012, will be part of the Selecção’s 23-man party in Ukraine and Poland after all. The Braga midfielder has been called up after Carlos Martins had to pull out of the squad due to injury.
Martins had not trained with the squad since the get-together on Monday, and a scan on his injured thigh revealed the worse for the Granada midfielder. Custódio (ankle sprain) and João Pereira (muscle fatigue) have also been in the treatment room, but in both cases it is simply a precautionary measure, with neither player at risk of missing the plane to Portugal’s base in Poznan, Poland.
Hugo Viana enjoyed a magnificent season at Braga, arguably the finest of his career, and his exclusion from Paulo Bento’s original European Football Championship 2012 squad sparked much debate in Portugal.
The former Newcastle and Valencia midfielder was in Spain on holiday with his family when he received the news. He is due and join the rest of the Selecção players at their Óbidos base tomorrow. Viana had received instructions not to go on holiday far away, given that he was on the list of Paulo Bento’s reserves who could be called up in the event of injury to any of the first-choice squad members.
The 29-year-old Viana has played 26 times for Portugal. He was part of the squad at both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
by Tom Kundert
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Meireles showed against both Benfica and Barca in the CL how good he can be at defensive midfield duties, and he should line up alongside Veloso in front of the back four. This would allow Moutinho to play further forward as a number 10 and pull the strings in midfield and suppourt the front 3.
Some examples to illustrate my point: At the last Euros we only played one holding midfielder against Germany and they did big damage as a result. 2 years later in South Africa, Argentina only played one defensive midfielder against the Germans and were ripped apart. Just a few days later against Spain, the Spanish played 2 holding midfielders (Alonso and Busquets) and the German attack was non-existent due to the Spanish ability to break up attacks early and keep possesion of the ball. We must do something similar when we face them..
With respect to Martins he is similar in style to other players on the squad, the same with Fernandes. How different are they from Meireles? I can see Bento wanting a direct replacement, but he also needs someone who provides a different look, and I think that Viana provides that.
Micael is a direct sub with few differences in style from Mouthinho, apart from Moutinho's work rate.
Custodio a direct replacement for Veloso, if not contending for starting role, given his form, and lack of Veloso's form (in my opinion, but debatable)
My point is Viana provides a different style, which led to Bento saying he didn't fit into our style. But given the fact Martins is out, Viana is the best alternative.
I am a sportinguista and i wacht both viana and Martins playing. I can confess to all of you that Martins is far a better player than viana in all aspect of the game, even though injuries have troubled him through all is carrier. Bento do not stick at martins because he loves him but he knows both of them. I have nothing against viana and I was once a fan of him but i came to realise that even rui jorge our left back four years ago put in the place of viana he could play better and put more fire in a game. i am not denying his qualities he has his quality, which is passing long balls, a thing that any player in this world can do.
i am sorry to say so but viana is very poor player, slow without any speed. he does not know how to drible pass one player. any time he is meet with one an one he look for alternative to pass, he cannot even shoot. A player like viana i would have called someone else to replace martins but not viana. No team would miss viana because his qualities is very much replaceable
Martins no to exagerate since Rui costa and deco i think he could have been the one to play that rule, given is consistent and well physically and mentally because Danny is another shame and disgrace weather as a left winger or in the meed he knows how to play in Russia so let him play there.
But he does offer another option when Bento will be forced to find another playing style. Imagine if we are 1 nil up on any of our group opponents with 10 mins to go, its not as if we'll be able to play Bento's possession football against the likes of Germany and Holland if they are under pressure. So having another option, for example pose the threat of Portugal breaking into counters though Viana's passing and with the pace of our wingers this could be a great plan B when under pressure.
He'll doubtless be a sub. but could be an influential sub. Remember in all the best teams the subs are not less talented versions of the plays in the starting squads but players that can offer other skill sets. That's what Hugo Viana will bring to the Seleção.
Força Portugal!
Upfront I think Almeida has all the qualities to be a good lone striker, but is too wasteful with his chances. Postiga does well, and scores in big games, but hasn't really proved to be a consistent goalscorer for us. Would have been interesting to see how Vaz Te would have done. Bit surprising that he wasn't called up given that alot of the League 2 sides in England would give the Portuguese teams a hard time.
I knew most would be happy at this news, as everyone seems to hate him (even more than they hate cigano Quaresma lol!). I don't, and I haven't forgotten how well he played when we thumped Spain. Viana is a player of similar quality to Martins imo, so will make a good replacement in the squad. I too would've gone for Fernandes as he offers more defensive prowess, but considering how this past season went, it's probably Viana who deserves the call-up more.
Bento is sure to start with the trio of Veloso-Meireles-Moutinho, and I wonder how much time the other midfielders will get. Unlike others, i think one who could make an impact from the bench is Micael. I like his directness and how he's always looking to make a through-pass to the forward (just ask Falcao how many times he was set up for goals by Micael when they were at Porto together!)
My last point is that, having watched the CL final and considering half the Bayern team will be up against us, i do think we are capable of matching up to them. I may be wrong, we shall see...but if all those Bayern players don't improve on their performances in the final against Chelsea...then we have a chance to do something against them...let's see!!
Now that Viana is going to be part of the team, it's hard to see how he'll contribute. He is at his best in a deep role alongside a strong defensive midfielder (Custodio). Therefore I don't see him being used as a direct replacement for Moutinho or Meireles in our high pressure 4-3-3. I guess he could be an option if Bento wants a more defensive, counter attacking formation. Moutinho or Meireles could play as an attacking midfielder with Viana and either Veloso or Custodio staying back to protect the defense.
Overall, it always helps to have a player of Viana's quality on the bench, but I don't know how he'll fit into Bento's system. Manuel Fernandes would be an excellent replacement for both Moutinho and Meireles since he has the ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder in a 4-3-3.
When we think of Varela we think of a dominant player such as Quaresma...equally balanced in style of play.
I don't like Rolando here, and would prefer to have Fernandes for Micael.
Hugo Viana is a much better player and will be a tremendous help to our depth issues in the midfield. Bento said he didn't fit our style so I'm surprised Fernandes wasnt called up instead but take it or leave it, I wouldnt pass this up.
I must say Ruben Micael and Varela are not players that deserve to be at Euro 2012 but if we go back a couple years.. we all knew what they were capable of so I wouldnt completely lose faith in them. If they are having a good day you never know.. but defense is definitely our weakness heading into the competition.
nuno gomes -------> varela
forca portugal
If only I could swoop Micael for Fernandes now.
I would have taken Fernandes but I'm also good with Viana. It will be interesting to see if he gets any time on the field. Hopefully they'll give him and Nelson a good run during these upcoming friendlies to see how they fit into the current team.
Hugo Viana may not suit Bento's playing style, but his obvious talent shouldn't have been overlooked. His long passing is among the best in Europe, and I'm not over exaggerating. I've watched many games of his this season, and he can pull off those amazing Xabi Alonso-esque long balls consistently. A player of his quality will definitely benefit the seleccao.
However, I would have rather seen Manuel Fernandes instead of Viana. In my opinion, he is the most complete midfielder we have. He can score goals, he's strong in the tackle, a decisive passer, and he is extremely strong on the ball. He would be the perfect impact player off the bench.
By the way, who else is on this list of Paulo Bento’s reserves?
On the other hand I like to see Hugo Viana on the team. He's not in our usual style of play, but lets face it in the group stages if we are one nil up with time to go counter-attacking potential, which Viana brings with his passing game, could make the deference. Will not be a starter but could be a very interesting addition