By Mike Martin ⋅ May 20, 2008 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Euro 2008

Coach
Luiz Felipe SCOLARI: ‘Felipão’ coached his native Brazil to World Cup triumph in 2002 before leading Portugal to the Euro 2004 Final on their own turf. Expected to leave the post after the tournament, he is boisterous but brave; his decision to replace Luís Figo helped Portugal overcome England in the quarter-final in 2004.

Scolari guided Portugal to the Euro 2004 final

Goalkeepers
Rui PATRÍCIO (Sporting Lisbon): As-yet uncapped goalkeeper emerging at the Estádio José Alvalade

QUIM (Benfica): Has been Portugal’s cover goalkeeper since Euro 2000. His main limitation is his relative weakness in the air; he is short and sometimes unreliable when dealing with crosses.

RICARDO Pereira (Real Betis): The best saver of penalties in the world but suffers from the same lack of assurance on aerial deliveries as Quim. Scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out against England in the Euro 2004 quarter-final.

Defenders
Bruno ALVES (Porto): A late bloomer, at 26 he is emerging as the eventual successor to Ricardo Carvalho at the Estádio do Dragão; instrumental in Porto’s near-impregnable defence as they eased to the title.

José BOSINGWA (Chelsea): Just signed from Porto but many in Portugal believe he is not as good as Chelsea’s existing Portugues right-back, Paulo Ferreira. His greatest asset is his pace but has not been fully fit in recent months.

Ricardo CARVALHO (Chelsea): Intelligent, skilful and never lets his country down, Carvalho is arguably the finest ball-playing centre-back in the world. Replaced Fernando Couto after Portugal’s disastrous 2-1 loss to Greece in the opening match of Euro 2004.

Paulo FERREIRA (Chelsea): Fine defensive right-back but is limited when attacking. International football requires all-round wing-back play and that could be what keeps him on the bench.

Fernando MEIRA (Stuttgart): Experienced central defender who will turn 30 two days before Portugal’s first game against Turkey. Stood in capably for the ever-injured Jorge Andrade at the last World Cup.

MIGUEL Monteiro (Valencia): Converted from a right-winger into a wing-back, he is sometimes prone to being caught out of position and, like most of his Valencia team-mates, hasn’t covered himself in glory this season. Usurped Paulo Ferreira at right-back during Euro 2004 but was injured in the Final.

PEPE (Real Madrid): Brazilian-born central defender given citizenship in August 2007 - the month he left the country for pastures new in Spain for a surprisingly large £24m fee and made his international début in November. Strong in the air, dangerous at set pieces.

Jorge RIBEIRO (Boavista): Left-back who will be surprised at being the only Ribeiro brother in the final squad; his older brother Maniche has been omitted after failing to find a regular place in the starting line-up at Atlético Madrid or on loan at Internazionale since January. Can also play wide in midfield.

Central Midfielders
DECO (Barcelona): Has waned somewhat at Barcelona in the last two seasons but is hardly unique in that respect. A clever attacking playmaker, his is surprising tough-tackling. Still has the confidence of Scolari.

Raul MEIRELES (Porto): Central midfielder at Porto who scored against Chelsea in the Champions League second round in 2007. Strong passer and likes to shoot from distance.

João MOUTINHO (Sporting Lisbon): Small but feisty captain at the José Alvalade, many believed he should have been in Scolari’s squad in 2006. Attacking player who can also fill in on the right of a four-man midfield but Portugal rarely use that formation.

PETIT (Benfica): 31-year-old holding midfielder rallying against his advancing years. Takes a mean free-kick but is unlikely to get a look in with Ronaldo and Deco on the scene.

Miguel VELOSO (Sporting Lisbon): Son of an ex-international defender António, he has attracted scorn from Scolari for his part-time modelling career but remains on the scene due to his footballing intelligence. Will compete with Petit for the defensive midfield rôle.

Wingers
NANI (Manchester United): Most sides at Euro 2008 would have him in the first XI at a stroke but Portugal have fine wingers aplenty. Bosts a deadly long range shot and likes the occasional bout of showboating.

Ricardo QUARESMA (Porto): Missed out on the World Cup squad but his inspirational performances have helped Porto stroll to the Portuguese title. Should shade Simão for a starting place opposite Ronaldo.

Cristiano RONALDO (Manchester United): Regarded by many as the best player in the world, has been Footballer of the Year in England two years running. A cert to start, the other three wingers can fight between themselves for the other berth. Likely to swap from side to side periodically during the match.

SIMÃO Sabrosa (Atlético Madrid): Started World Cup matches against Angola and Mexico but not regarded as likely to start. Has enjoyed good form at the Calderón as Atlético marched into the Champions League for the first time since 1996 and is yet another dead-ball maestro in the Portuguese ranks.

Centre Forwards
Hugo ALMEIDA (Werder Bremen): Often wasteful striker who is fed plenty of chances at the über-attacking Bremen side. Hasn’t yet entirely convinced on the international stage but may be Portugal’s best bet in their seemingly interminable search for a striker who will perform consistently in summer tournaments.

NUNO GOMES (Benfica): Outstanding at Euro 2000 and was the hero of the vital win over Spain in 2004 but can be maddeningly indecisive. His 28 international goals constitute an impressive tally considering Scolari preferred Pauleta at centre forward for many years.

Hélder POSTIGA (Panathinaikos): Saved Portugal with his late equalizer against England in 2004 but still hasn’t settled in club football. Has a reasonable goalscoring rate for Portugal - 10 goals in 30 appearances - but is little more than emergency cover.

Wish You Were Here?
MANICHE (Internazionale): Nicknamed after Benfica’s Danish star striker from the 80s Michael Manniche, Maniche was superb at Euro 2004 and World Cup 06 but his five clubs in four seasons have disturbed his recent form. Nevertheless, an extremely surprising omission.

Jorge ANDRADE (Juventus): One of the unluckiest players under the sun; the centre-back missed the World Cup through injury and had this season terminated after tearing a knee tendon in a 2-2 draw at Roma last September.

Tags: Cristiano Ronaldo, Euro 2008, Luis Nani, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Portugal, Ricardo Carvalho

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