New Seleção coach Fernando Santos will announce his first squad selection on Friday. The veteran manager takes over a Portugal side that is not short on individual quality but one that has not played as a cohesive unit for some time.
Outgoing coach Paulo Bento did not leave the squad in the best circumstances after he was dismissed following the embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Albania. The Seleção is now expected to look very different under Santos.
Many players have aged and declined, while others have moved clubs and seen their quality dip as well. At the same time, there is a wealth of young talent waiting in the wings.
It will be up to Santos to build a good foundation for the future. And he faces many tough decisions ahead of some important matches. The Seleção play France in a friendly on October 11th, followed by a crucial Euro 2016 qualifier with Denmark just three days later.
The Albania loss has already put Portugal on the back foot in terms of qualifying for Euro 2016. Santos will have to act quickly in order to get them back on track. PortuGOAL looks at six issues facing the new national team coach.
Will more young players be introduced into the squad?
Paulo Bento’s decision to stick with several aging players for too long was probably the single biggest reason for his demise. Portugal had one of the oldest squads in Brazil and the pressure is on Santos to give some promising youngsters a chance to shine. The challenge for Santos will be to decide which young stars are ready to step in and make an immediate impact, as well as which deserve to be integrated into the squad, if not the team.
There is no question that the country is producing some quality youth players these days. Several are playing regularly at a high level in La Liga and Ligue 1 in particular, not to mention at home for Sporting. But young players are often still raw and need more playing time at club level before they could be counted on to produce.
Will Portugal become more defensive-minded?
The Seleção has prided itself over the past two decades for its entertaining brand of football. Under Bento, Portugal was lauded for its effective use of the counter-attack. It was a vast improvement over the defensive-minded system briefly implemented under Bento’s predecessor, Carlos Queiroz. The squad struggled badly at times to score goals.
Fernando Santos has developed a reputation for being a little too defensive in his approach as well. As Greece manager, Santos did favour a defensive-minded system; perhaps bearing in mind his squad’s limited attacking ability. But with Portugal, he will inherit a far more talented squad which is far better suited for attacking football. Can he strike the right balance?
What formation or formations will be used?
Paulo Bento was well-known for rarely deviating from his preferred 4-3-3 formation in his time as Portugal manager. There were some half-hearted attempts to experiment with 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 during World Cup qualifying and international friendlies. But Fernando Santos is not expected to be as conservative when it comes to formations and tactics.
With Greece, Santos employed several different formations depending on the opposition and players available. He will now find himself with more options. But there are major concerns in key areas, particularly at striker. And will Portugal finally play with a full-fledged playmaker again? There are options available that could perform the role such as Danny, André Martins, João Mário, Rafa Silva or Bernardo Silva.
The defence appears to need reworking: Will Rui Patricio retain his place? Who will play at right-back? Who will make up your central defensive pairing?
There is no question that Santos will have to overhaul Portugal’s defence. Three of the four central defenders at the World Cup were over the age of 30. Zenit’s Luis Neto was the only exception. Real Madrid’s Pepe remains a good option for the Seleção, although injuries have started to take their toll on the 31-year-old. Many feel that Southampton’s José Fonte was overlooked by Bento. And will promising youngsters Tiago Ilori or Ruben Vezo get their chance soon?
At right-back the mainstay of the Bento era, João Pereira, is out of favour at club level. Sporting’s Cédric Soares has been solid for the better part of two years now. Benfica’s Sílvio is currently recovering from a broken leg but can play on both the left and right. In goal, Rui Patrício may find himself vulnerable after several questionable performances for his country. He now has some competition from Lyon’s Anthony Lopes and Sevilla’s Beto.
How do you get the most out of Cristiano Ronaldo?
Paulo Bento should be credited for getting the most out of reigning Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. After previously receiving criticism from the media for his perceived lack of productivity with the Seleção, the Portuguese captain largely thrived under Bento. Ronaldo was Portugal’s best player at Euro 2012 and almost single-handedly hauled them to Brazil.
At 29-years-old, Euro 2016 could be his last major tournament for his country where he remains at the height of his powers. There is no doubt he is a player of incredible individual ability, but he struggled badly under the defensive system of Carlos Queiroz. Santos should be well aware that if Portugal is to achieve anything, then they need their captain to be at his best.
Who will be selected in the striker position?
For so long now, the striker position has been a particular area of concern for the Seleção. And unfortunately, it does not look like that will change any time soon. Despite the limitations of his game, Hélder Postiga provided some much-needed stability in the position under Paulo Bento. However, he had a very poor season a year ago and has been struggling with injuries.
After Postiga, there does not appear to be very many options. Former Besiktas striker Hugo Almeida is still currently without a club. And he never managed to replicate his club form with Portugal. Braga’s Éder has looked the part on a few occasions but has yet to really produce for his country. And it does not appear that Santos will get much help from club level either. Benfica pair Nélson Oliveira and Tiago Correia (formerly known as Bebé), both promising, have not received much playing time so far this season.
As one can see, it may be a new era for the Seleção, but many of the same old questions remain. The first indications about how Santos intends to solve these conundrums will be given tomorrow in his eagerly awaited first squad announcement.
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