Road to Russia (Rumo à Rússia) 2018

I did not, no. The way you say that would suggest he did not have a very good game.

Fill us in..

 

He’s had one good game since Carvalhal came in, against wolves he was playing terribly and stormed off the pitch in a tantrum because his teammates were getting on at him for blazing a free kick high over the bar and getting heckled by the wolves fans for being a shit Ruben Neves

 

Wolves will be representing Portugal in the prem next season. They are 10 points clear.

The back of my hand is more English than Wolves.

 

For some of you that may have not read these yet... Just a few good reads about Portugal going into the world cup.

http://portugoal.net/selecao/775-too-early-to-dream-part-one

http://portugoal.net/selecao/771-too-early-to-dream

http://portugoal.net/portuguese-abr...osts-portugal-s-chances-in-world-cup-showdown

I love Portugoal.net

 

Yep he played well. Let's not forget Paulo Sousa who at one stage was probably the best player/foreign player in Seria A

 

WTF are these guys smoking?

Argentina is more likely to win if Messi isnt in the line up? vs Portugal without Ronaldo?

World Cup qualifiers:
With Messi - won 5/6 matches = 83%
Without Messi - won 1/7 matches = 14%

Oh, and yeah, thats right, Ronaldo played such a huge role v France in the final?

I have never in my life seen such a hate on towards a specific soccer nation.

Cant wait untill the star is placed onto that Portuguese jersey, and even then, no respect will be given, the other team ********ed up as opposed to Portugal winning it.

 

With how Joao Mario and Andre Silva are doing we wont have a star from this World Cup

They need a great next 6 months.

 

The thing about commentators from Europe is that they have very little knowledge of clubs and nations outside of Europe. They basically said nothing about Morocco and Iran. They will be tougher than people are suggesting.

 

This isn't really applicable to Portugal's "Road to Russia," but I found it interesting. The MLS SuperDraft is taking place today and the first pick was a Portuguese kid named Joao Moutinho who was part of Sporting's academy before going to the University of Akron for a year. The new Los Angeles team drafted him.

I don't really pay attention to the MLS, but it's cool to see this kid goes first in the draft. I guess he's primarily a LB who can play some midfield. Who knows, maybe he'll be a late bloomer...

 

What is everyones thoughts on RUBEN DIAS making the NT for the WC.. similiar situation Renato Sanches was in heading into Euro 2016.

 

and what about Rúben Vezo who plays for Valencia, is he a regular starter? is he any good?

 

At the very least, Santos needs to gives these younger CBs a look leading into the World Cup. Even if they're fit, taking the same oldies to the tournament is playing with fire and you can't expect them to last much longer even if Pepe is still great. You just never know when an aging playing will suddenly become old on the pitch too.

I'm still having nightmares about the Neto-Ricardo Ferreira pairing in the U.S. friendly.

 

Yes, it was probably the worse CB i have witnessed in my life time.

In regards to your comment suggesting Santos try out some younger CB leading upto the tournament. Is this possible? i mean, generally the friendlies leading upto the tournament are for the guys likely on the team and used an opportunity to gel, or a VERY LAST LOOK at guys on the fence.

I can not see how some younger CB's are tested out prior to the tournament.

Guys like Dias, Ruben Semedo, Edgar Le, Vezo, etc will either be brought, or we re going to go with the old group one last time.

Truthfully, i think at this point in time, Ruben Dias is the most likely to earn a spot on the team, he has gotten hot and in form at the right time.

 

Well, there's an international break in March, so that'd be a good time to mix in some younger guys that have a shot at making the team. I'd like to think that Neto doesn't have a spot locked up. He's a perfect example of a guy who is serviceable when paired with the likes of Pepe, but who doesn't look the part of take-charge, experienced CB at a World Cup.

In addition to Neto's place not being a given, Fonte has been out for three months with an injured foot while Alves is now out for a month with a calf tear. I don't think Santos has a choice here - he has to see what Ie and co. have to offer.

 

Also Bruno Alves has been atrocious for rangers. One of the most appalling leagues in Europe, he’s done

 

Dias will get a look for sure, we dont have much else.

 

Yeah, well, we all thought Bruno was done a few years ago, yet here we are watching him start Euro semifinals and WC qualifiers (and acquit himself well). It's one thing to say he's done, but someone else actually has to step up to take his place before he's legitimately done.

 

Bruno Alves always seems to step up and is all in when putting the Portuguese shirt over his back. I would argue he has looked poor for a couple seasons now, and by 'poor' i mean someone who isnt worthy of starting in Euro championships... but he has.

I by no means suggest i would be comfortable with Bruno Alves or even Fonte at this point given their injuries heading into the WC, but untill Alves proves on that stage he can no longer run with the others, i think he will be given a chance.

Do we have any confirmed opponents for the international break in March?

 

Pedro Mendes from Montpellier might be worth a look as well, at some point. He seems to be a late bloomer like Jose Fonte was. And he can't be any worse than Ricardo Ferreira.

I know he's not a star but he's the captain of the team that has conceded the fewest goals in France. Montpellier have only conceded 15 goals this season. Fewer than PSG, Monaco, Lyon...etc.

So far this season, Montepellier has held PSG, Monaco and Lyon, 0-0. Mendes was rock solid in all these big clashes. He's also turned down a call-up from Switzerland in the hopes of playing for Portugal.

http://www.zerozero.pt/player.php?id=42648

 

I get what you’re all saying and I agree that let’s be honest Alves will 100% be at the World Cup.

But I don’t think you understand when I mean he has been awful. Simply awful. Scottish football is absolutely shocking standard and he’s been made to look terrible

 

As long as he plays well if/when called upon by Portugal, I don't care how he looks against Heart of Midlothian or Partick Thistle. It's really not his fault he's still representing Portugal at 36, but he's played well when on international duty in spite of his age.

I'm all for giving Mendes a shot, though I haven't seen him play. He's got Fonte's size and at 27 is practically a child (not really) compared to Fonte when he finally got his first Portugal cap (just shy of his 31st birthday).

 

Perfect friendlies, honestly.

Egypt is arguably better than Morocco and the Netherlands have the most quality out of all the teams that did not qualify. There will be more friendlies before the world cup but this is a good starting point.

 

It's been a while gentlemen. Hopefully the activity in here picks up over the coming months.

A few points
- Ruben Dias has to be given a crack, I can't believe we are in a position where we are having to bank on a 19 year old centre but here we are.
- I've been watching Valencia quite closely due to Guedes absolutely outrageous form but I've been watching Ruben Vezo when he's played and the coach seems to like him. He's a bit rusty but I actually think there is a decent player in there and he maybe a bolter for the World Cup.
- Agree Pedro Mendes is doing well and may be showing the quality for which he was signed for Real Madrid and partnered Varane in the B team. He's knows Pepe from their time together so is a safe option IMO
- Goncalo Paciencia had been taking the absolute Mickel out of the Portuguese league, if he can replicate his form at Porto he may given Santos some serious food for thought.