Road to Russia (Rumo à Rússia) 2018

On the bright side, he brought along Dias. I gotta believe Dias will be starting v Spain alongside Pepe (if healthy)..

Another thing to mention.. Dias being surrounded by guys who have done it all like Pepe, Alves and Fonte can be a huge boost to his growth/confidence as a player.. what more could you ask for as CB? when coming up into the NT anyways..

 

It's honestly the expected call up bar a few surprises. Overall it's a strong team, our strongest since 2006 despite 1/2 questionable callups and far better in midfield/attack compared to 2016.

Bruno Alves can't even start for Rangers, he has no business on this roster but he will be the 4th CB and is there for the dressing room atmosphere.

Fonte is the player I'm worried about, 8 games for West Ham then a complete disaster in China where he even gets lit up there. Santos must feel that he can get him ready within a month...

Ruben Dias could actually be looking at getting significant playing time considering the age/quality of the aforementioned 2, but Dias can be aggressive as well....with how much Santos has us defending that could be dangerous.

Nelson Semedo is a quality fullback but Ricardo has been better this season and is a top quality fullback as well, he will make a move to a big team. I think another aspect of Ricardo being called is that he can play leftback as well, which is important considering the injury riddled season Gurreiro had and the question mark that his Mario Rui, despite Rui playing really well for Napoli.

Ruben Neves not being called is shocking, he's a superstar in the making and we only have one d-mid as a result..Danilo being injured is a huge loss. Adrien or Manuel Fernandes can play there but that's a huge risk..Adrien playing half a season shouldnt even be there imho.

Rony Lopes and Bruma are fantastic young players but it just shows the lethal quality we have off the bench when they cant make it..Guedes lit up Spain and Gelson Martins is a livewire who has already proven himself.

 

I will tell you what I love about this team, I have no clue what my preferred starting 11 would be. When have we ever really had that "problem"? We finally have depth and competition when it comes to who we all want as starters.

At right back I'm not sure who I would start, Cedric is a solid safe choice, Ricardo is more talented and dynamic, but Cedric fits well with the system, this ones a tough choice for me.

At CB who partner's Pepe? I'd prefer Dias but is he really ready, is he right now better than Fonte or Alves who I am not looking forward to seeing start? If Dias performs in the friendlies and legit looks like the best option then I will be very happy with the defence. If its Alves or Fonte I don't know if that will be good enough to go on a deep run.

In midfield who starts, we know Carvalho will be there as well as bernardo, but who gets the other 2 positions, is it Moutinho and Mario, or does Bruno establish himself in the friendlies and take Moutinho's spot. Is Bruno fernandes legit, if he is, I am very happy with that midfield.

And who to start beside Ronaldo, Silva was a great partnership in qualifying so I would probably go with that, but I would test out Guedes with Ronaldo in the friendlies and see how that looks. Or is there a possibility that Guedes is the left sided midfielder over Mario?

Tough choices,

My preferred 11

Cedric Dias Pepe Rafa

Carvalho

Bernardo Bruno Mario

Silva Ronaldo

 

I'm really surprised by Semedo's exclusion, but I don't think it really matters since Cedric was bound to start anyway and Pereira's got plenty of quality (and more positional flexibility, right?). And I'm thrilled Dias earned a spot. While I trust Fonte and Alves because of what they've shown for Portugal even when not in great form for their clubs, we all know that all the really matters is that Pepe is fit. If he is, I could play next to him and look okay. If not...it could be a disaster.

To be honest, I'm underwhelmed by the midfield selections. For as much quality depth as Portugal has there, that group really feels like a "playing it safe" group. I'm glad Manuel made it, and it's too bad that Danilo is hurt, but Neves and Lopes are in great form even though they're playing in leagues where that could be misleading. I know neither has shown much in their friendly opportunities, but neither has Bruno. If Portugal is going to leave a mark this summer, it seems one of the Fernandes boys will need to surprise outsiders. Joao Mario doesn't exactly unlock top quality defenses from the midfield, I thought Joao Moutinho was done at this level before his resurgence after being bench at Euro 2016, and Silva's got a very specific defensive role. I guess the key is that William continues to be Destroyer of Worlds. It'd be great to see him string great performances together and get the credit he deserves.

 

The more i look at the squad... and read other posters views on it.. the more i like it..

Ricardo Pereira makes a lot of sense to me now.. due to the left back possibility which i over looked initially.

Dias is going to be given the shot to start in the friendlies to prove his worth..

M.Fernandes is arguably as close to Danilo as we have.. and while Neves is a super star in the making.. he doesnt exactly instill fear into opposing offences with his size and defensive presence. Neves is more of a creator/playmaker.

I also overlooked the idea of Guedes starting up top with CR7.. intriguing..

Can you imagine if we had this group of players 5 years ago.. and could have lined up like this:

-------------------A.Silva----Guedes----
--Ronaldo---Moutinho--William----B.Silva

It is a shame Ronaldo has lost so much speed, otherwise it would still be an option.. but such is life..

I am thrilled with the selection..

No doubt in my mind this team is going to make a very deep run.. and with luck and health on our side.. can win it all.

 

I think our boy is ready to do his thing.........

 

He has the Charisma of The nature boy Ric Flair

 

Wooooooo!

 

The squad numbers for the World Cup were released today.

 

Ruben Dias and Ricardo Pereira get their chance today against Tunisia.
Official Line-up...

 

Do you guys think this will be Santos’ starting XI against Spain, with Rui replacing Lopes and Ronnie replacing RQ20?

 

Pretty close. Cedric will start over Pereira and most likely Fonte or Alves in for Dias (even though I think Santos should go with Dias at this point).

 

That’s what I’m thinking as well, but a part of me wants to believe he could surprise us with Ricardo and Dias in the backline even though there’s a 97% chance he’ll go with Cedric and Fonte/Alves with Pepe.

 

Asking for a favor in advance, i am not able to watch todays game unfortunately.

If anyone has a stream of the complete game after its completion i could watch, i would really appreciate if someone could post it.

Thank you in advance either way.

 

Quaresma with another beauty of a cross for the assist to AS9. Just awesome!

I honestly feel like Quaresma could be a starter... The potential this guy had to become one of the world's best... It's a shame he didn't use it all...

Having said that, this is definitely a "preview" of our line-up against Spain. Ronaldo for Quaresma and Cedric for Ricardo. Oh and, I actually think that if Dias does well today, he will take over Bruno or Fonte' spot.

LET'S GO!!!

 

André Silva 1-0

Forca!

 

Vamos Bacalhau caralho! LOL

 

JOAO MARIO... CARAMBA!!!! 2-0

 

Is it just me or Joao Mario plays great when he's with our National Team but not so much at club level...?

 

Ricardo messed up there... He doesn't have the defensive capabilities like Cedric possesses. 2-1.

 

Yeah thats why Cedric will be and should be starting.

 

I would like to see Dias start but not Pereira. That goal that Tunisia just scored shows us why.