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Friday, 04 May 2012 22:28 |
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I know that in the end, Paulo Bento is likely going to keep the starting 11 that has been successful in qualifying. He'll probably call up the likes of Rolando, Ricardo Costa, Ruben Micael, and Carlos Martins. I understand that he wants to create a strong core of players who are used to playing with each other, but I hope that he realizes that our current starting 11 is susceptible to both Germany and Holland.
The midfield trio of Moutinho, Meireles, and Veloso were brilliant against Bosnia in the playoffs. Paulo Bento wants to utilize a high pressure 4-3-3 that thrives on the counter attack. This style of play will best suit the players we have; particularly our midfielders.
In my previous post, I mentioned that Joao Moutinho is a world class midfielder. Now I know that Joao Moutinho isn't as good as Xavi, no one is. However, my definition of a world class player is someone who is considered among the best in the world in their position. Joao Moutinho is a deep-lying playmaker, and he is without doubt, one of the finest in Europe.
He, in my opinion, has been the most important addition to the Seleccao since Bento took over. Our whole style of play revolves around him. He and Meireles press tirelessly off the ball, and their ability the pass the ball quickly in transition is crucial to our style of play.
Miguel Veloso is a very good player. However he is most useful against inferior teams. His calm composure and passing range are very useful when we want to dominate possession, but when we're going up against the likes of Ozil, Sneijder, and Robben, I fear that Veloso will be our weak link.
Hopefully he proves me wrong, but I still think that we'll need a true defensive midfielder if we are to have any chance of winning this tournament. I know that Daniel Carrico hasn't played every minute of every game for Sporting this season, but he is our best option in that role. Paulo Bento can at least give him a shot in the pre-tournament friendlies. Queiroz experimented with Coentrao in the pre-world cup friendlies, and he was our best player.
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