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| Sunday, 21 November 2010 08:15 |
Opinion: Bento’s vision is clearThe secrets behind Portugal’s rebirth under new coach Sometimes when there is chaos, opportunity is not too far behind. And for Paulo Bento, adjustments to the “Seleccao” have brought about an incredible rejuvenation to the Portuguese national side.
But the irony in the success for the Portuguese in last week’s exhibition game against Spain, was their unwavering defensive pressure against the Spanish midfielders. The relentless pressure in central midfield was performed to perfection as the World Champions looked distinctly uncomfortable in their transition to attack. Bento’s message was clear: he did not allow the talented Spanish midfielders to roam free in the middle, choosing only to give them the advantage on the flanks, from which the Spanish could not deliver.
Since Bento has come onboard, we have been lost in the illusion that the attack is what has made Portugal the juggernaut that we all hoped it could become. But in reality, the correlation between the recent scoring onslaught and the attack-minded strategy can be attributed to a more effective counter-attack due to improvements in the midfield defence.
Subtle adjustmentSimply stated, the defensive nightmare that was once installed by the Queirozian style of play was not abolished but simply “adjusted”. Instead of collapsing to the back third of pitch à la World Cup, Bento installed a ferocious defensive rush, choosing constant movement instead of a reactive defence.
Credit is due not only to strategy but also to tactics in Bento’s new vision on the pitch. Removing Pepe from the defensive midfielder position and dropping Raul Meireles in his spot has proved to be masterful. Meireles has greatly improved the decision-making skills for the midfield, which has institutionalised calmness and decisiveness on the counter.
Additionally, the new faces of Joao Moutinho and Carlos Martins have sparked a clear and ever-present danger for the development of the attack. Through the hard work of these players, the counter-attack develops at a lightning quick pace, which perfectly fits the repertoire of the forwards.
Lethal threat from flanksThe pace in Ronaldo and Nani on the flanks was too difficult to handle as the Spanish full-backs were working endlessly to contain the apparent rout by the forwards. The coming of age of Nani at Manchester United shows that their pairing on the wings will surely be the best in the world for years to come.
This victory was not only a psychological conquest, but it finally revealed fundamentally that Portugal can still win by playing its own brand of football. A brand of football that did not rely on naturalised Brazilian stars, a brand where the strikers scored three goals in the match, a brand that allowed the opponents’ midfield – which happens to be the world’s best – to maintain 70% possession, yet still come away with a convincing victory.
by Ricardo Costa
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In my neck of the woods probably 85% of the Portuguese support the Brazilian team.. I don't but I don't chafe those who have chosen over Brazil to wear our colours. Pepe would be starting right now for Brazil!
He came to Portugal young and dedicated his national career to our team.
Truth is Meireles is a hard worker and a great player but he is no DM.. your write-up was hilarious considering most of Spain's lethal attacks on net came through the middle, or did you miss that? Meireles is great but he should be further up the field, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.. so I believe you will see Pepe and Carvalho start in the middle for the next match bar injury, even though he is Brazilian.
I always gasp at how some Portuguese supporters tar some naturalized and not all the rest. Get used to it.. we are a country with many colonies and the majority of its residents immigrated abroad.
Sorry Ricardo if this makes you defensive.. you are a good writer but cut out the naturalized Brazilian crap.. that bias destroyed a mostly enjoyable piece.. not that I agreed with it.. but appreciated it non-the-less until you said the B word.
He is extremely proud to play for Portugal and i could say the same for Deco who was one of our best playmakers that ever lived
"A brand of football that did not rely on naturalised Brazilian stars"
What is wrong with you? Why all these hatred against Brazilian born players? I mean seriously, get over it. Why isn't Nani, Danny or Bosingwa getting some heat??? I mean none heat? For crying out loud you writing for blog read mostly by expats or immigrants...uff!!
put your hands up for Portugal:-)
I recommend checking out the FIFA link above. They keep track of all the upcoming official matches (Euro & WC qualifiers), also they list the friendlies. All you have to do is go through the months to see what's coming up.
I'm not sure about the France game but we do have a match coming up with Chile on March 25/2011. I hope this helps.
Great article, it's starting to feel like 04/06 but with greater potential since the squad is younger. I'm just hoping people back home start supporting the team more, the lack of full stadiums for national matches is disappointing.
The balance of skill and hard work of the Martins,Moutinho, Meireles trio works well against the best teams in the world, but I would prefer to see Danny instead of Martins when we play inferior defense-minded teams. He is a very, very talented player who can help break down stubborn defenses.
Jerrold, you can watch the entire replay at espn3.com.
A SPECIAL REQUEST FROM PORTUGOAL.NET OR ANY ONE WHO CAN HELP:please update us always concerning any new friendly game that might happen!Will we really play France in march 2011?Any idea?Please keep us updated!
Força PORTUGAAL!