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| Saturday, 09 June 2012 21:44 | ||||||
Portugal 0-1 Germany tactical breakdown Portugal and Germany offered us the first chess match of the Euros. The three games up to this point had drifted a bit from what was widely expected - cagey contests with few goals. The Portuguese line-up had no surprises, with Hélder Postiga and João Pereira getting the nod ahead of Hugo Almeida and Miguel Lopes, but Germany manager Joachim Löw went with Mats Hummels instead of Per Mertesacker, most likely to in order to offer quicker defensive coverage for Ronaldo's charges.
Portugal were happy to acknowledge Germany's superiority and played cautiously. Resisting the temptation to drop their lines too much, Paulo Bento's men had a clear game plan: to keep the ball from getting to their opponent's final third. For that, they tried to stifle Germany's first build-up stage, with Moutinho and Meireles picking up Schweinsteiger and Khedira, respectively. However, the presence of Hummels meant that Germany were able to bypass that obstacle rather easily, especially because Hélder Postiga did not seem to know whom to mark.
20 minutes into the game, the Selecção kept finding it harder and harder to discover routes for their breakaways. Incapable of playing through the right, the main alternative lay with Fábio Coentrão's long passes towards Cristiano Ronaldo or Postiga, which seldom worked out. Furthermore, despite being vocal with their concerns about Ronaldo, Löw had clearly done his homework, as Miguel Veloso was always closely marked by either Özil or Gómez. This, in turn, meant that Portugal's routes were rather predictable and unsuccessful.
With both teams seeming more afraid to lose than willing to win, the second half was not that different. Neither eleven was able to do what they do best. Whilst Germany were more proactive, they still could not find space through the middle and started to look more for Gómez's aerial threat. On the other hand, Portugal's transitions were not reaching their destination due to numerous wayward (simple) passes and out of sync movement. Löw tried to change that by asking Schweinsteiger to play higher up so that Özil could exploit the free space in front of the Portuguese defense. The strategy partially worked, with the German maestro easily overloading the wings (Ronaldo and Nani had clear instructions not to track back and provide the out-ball), but it did not deliver the end product. As for Portugal, without someone in the Rui Costa or Deco mould, it was hard to shake things up from midfield, with both wingers too static. A deadlock seemed to be in the cards up until the 72nd minute, when Mário Gómez proved that, while he lacks Klose's link-up play, he possesses a rare ability to transform a loose ball into a goal in a glimpse. From that moment on, Portugal had to chase the result and Bento threw Varela on the pitch for Meireles (Nélson Oliveira had already taken Postiga's position on the 69th minute) for one final push. After conceding the goal, the Selecção showed just how much more they have to offer when they are not just waiting for their opponent and, on the contrary, are willing to make use of all their strengths going forward. Even though the Portuguese players, coach and fans will most likely complain about bad luck and mention the two shots that hit the woodwork, the truth of it all is that Portugal can only blame themselves. While a team's organisation is paramount, that alone must not be their only game plan, if they want to achieve success. Bento will rally his troops by stating that Portugal had the better chances, but he would be better off asking his players not to shy away from what they do best. by Vasco Mota Pereira
Vasco runs http://aboladovasco.blogspot.com/ and
http://combinationplay.blogspot.com/, two blogs exclusively about football. |
I personally think they should keep the starting line up. Maybe change Postiga for Oliveira. I think they know that they have to win the next game. This should force them to have to play more attack football.
We can still win with Postiga up front, but Oliveira would be the better option. Let's just hope that Almeida doesn't start...
But, in even saying that, I feel that putting Nani in as the attacking mid will be a disaster. Instead of crossing the ball he hangs onto it too long now. Yes he looks great when he wins the one on me battles and/or when he cuts inside for the shot. But when it doesn't go right, he looks awful. I actually think he had a poor match yesterday. The Germans bottled up the wings, yet Nani kept the ball at his feet instead of moving it around quicker.
Just my opinion.
I did think Varela looked ok, but he had a horrible season with Porto and his blocked shot was awful.
It goes to show the lack of quality up the middle on this Seleccao. I've mentioned on other posts how Fernandes could have been the difference maker if he was available as a sub.
I did like the way Nelson looked, especially how he ran down the ball and held it waiting for teammates. But you also saw how he isn't accustomed to teammates.
I was shocked to see Nelson and Varela come on.
Lets face it, we'll go with the same starting lineup, since they did look good. Hopefully we won't have to continually moving players out of position in order to chase a goal.
We've played well verse Denmark and a win is in order.
Moutinho is capable of playing as an attacking midfielder and his excellent pass to Ronaldo showed his creativity, but he is at his best as a deep-lying midfielder. Against the Danes, Bento should start the match in a 4-2-3-1. Veloso and Moutinho can play as holding midfielders which will give Nani the freedom to play as an attacking midfielder.
------------------------------Oliveira--------------------------------------
Ronaldo-------------------Nani--------------------------------Varela
----------------------Moutinho----Veloso----------------------
Coentrao----------Alves------------Pepe---------------------Pereira
-------------------------------Patricio------------------------------------
Even though he should have scored, Silvestre Varela was excellent when he came in. With Oliveira, Ronaldo, Nani, and Varela forming a front four, Portugal can have a very fast, fluid and technical attack while still having the defensive support of Moutinho and Veloso.
I am confident that a 4-2-3-1 with Nani as the #10 and Oliveira as the striker will give us a win against Denmark.
Thank you for your feedback. I am aware that some of you might disagree with me as far as the final conclusion goes. I actually meant that Portugal are strong enough not to remain a (exclusively) reactive side.
Jamie, yes, you're absolutely right. Varela came on for Meireles, but he took Nani's position on the right. Nani, in turn, shifted into something of a free(r) role, just off Nélson Oliveira. It was something most Portuguese coaches (and many others, of course) do when they find themselves trailing. It looks a bit anarchic, but it sometimes works.
Both teams were very cautious in their approach, but I thought that Portugal did a better job dictating the tempo without the ball. The midfield worked brilliantly to restrict the Germans from making good chances, and apart from Gomez' brilliant header, the Germans looked very ordinary in possession. Ozil saw plenty of the ball, but he was nowhere near his best.
If Portugal were to play more offensively, Germany's counter-attacks would take advantage of Veloso's lack of pace. If you give Germany space to counter, they'll destroy you.
In the end, Portugal created the better chances, and on a different night, we could have won 2-0.
We will have more of the ball against Denmark, and I am confident that we will win. If Germany defeats Holland, we'll have a great chance to advance to the quarter finals.
Also, I was extremely impressed with Oliveira. He looked brilliant, so hopefully he'll get the start against the Danes. I think that it may just be his time to shine.