No excuses, Swiss are very good but if we field our strongest side and play for our lives we should make the final.
Nice draw for us. Of the 3 i think it is fair to say this is the best result. As pointed out, Swiss are very good and should not be taken lightly. This is certainly a winnable game though, and would love to see an England v Portugal final.
I wouldn’t... I’m a dual citizen but support Portugal over England so all my friends will hate me when we win!!
lol, sorry to hear that. still doesnt change that i prefer to see England v Portugal. I have actually grown a dislike towards the English NT ever since their media began shitting on the Portuguese NT 14+ years ago.
Yeah i would enjoy it as a game but would be devastated if we lost, because it was very frosty when we beat them in the euros and the World Cup
The one thing that has me optimistic about this tournament is that there are no south american teams present for Santos to once again run out of ideas against. failed with Greece against South American opposition and then failed with us against south american opposition (twice) pretty clear to me that he has an Achilles heel.
Mourinho needs to take a couple of years off, refresh himself and his footballing philosophy. This is what makes Ronaldo so astonishing as a footballer, he has reinvented himself 3 times now and while Messi is a pure ball player Ronaldo for me is now overtaken him in terms of what he is doing in Italy just incredible
Hey guys, I’m going to be in Porto in June, and I’m going to see both of Portugal’s games (hopefully we win it all). It’ll be my first time being in the city, since I usually go to Funchal or Lisbon. What recommendations do you guys have for stuff to do and places to go see in the city? I’m really curious and it’d help me a lot. Obrigado!
Well guys the Uefa Nations League is about a month away. I think this may be the greatest Portuguese Starting lineup in our history. The World Cup squad in my opinion was the deepest squad in terms of quality depth we have ever had, but not the best starting lineup, but I feel starting with this tournament through to 2020 Euro's, we will have the strongest starting squad in our history. Usually Portugal has had a few players you may consider world class, and then some good players along with maybe a few mediocre players at certain positions. This squad moving forward I don't think I can remember this many world class or potential world class players in our starting lineup. World class in my opinion: Cancelo Ronaldo Bruno Fernandes Bernardo Silva Pepe still is a beast William Carvalho (no clue why no big team hasn't ever gone for him) Potential world class Felix Dias Raphael (probably would be considered one of the best LB in the world if he regularly played there) Neves Our strongest lineup In my opinion: Cancelo Pepe Dias Raphael Neves Carvalho Bernardo Bruno Fernandes Felix Ronaldo
Am i the only who's excited for this tournament? Lol. It's been awesome seeing national team compete 4 summers in row. I really hope we win the Nations Cup.
I am looking forward to it. Not sure how 'excited' i am for a 4 team/2 game tournament spanning a couple days. I personally think while this isnt anything big on a global scale, this means so much to the Portuguese people. While it will never replicate the failures and heartbreak of 2004, it will help move past that experience just a bit. Home soil. Should have lifted that trophy 15 years ago. This is the first opportunity since. It is much bigger for the Portuguese then anyone else.
Portugal's performances in those first two Euro qualifiers sapped some of my enthusiasm, but I'm still looking forward to these finals. Ultimately I'm more worried about qualifying straight from the group and Portugal, as usual, is behind the eight ball early in qualifying. One thing I am VERY excited about: Joao Felix being on the squad. I assume he was only left off the U20 squad because he'll be onthe big squad for this.
With the Liga officially over, and no player of importance to the Portuguese NT playing in the CL final, we can now turn our attention towards the Nations League and the call up which is expected to be announced by Fernando Santos on May 25th. I personally think the call up will be pretty straight forward for the most part. Does anybody expect any surprises or surprise exclusions from the list?
You have to be on crack to start Joao Felix over Diogo Jota. One is scoring goals in the toughest league in the world out muscling much bigger experienced defenders. The other plays in a fake league where the opposition supports his team and wants him to do well lol
I am not sure what he means, to be honest. Although, with that being said.. while i dont think you would be on CRACK to start Felix over Jota, i also think Jota deserves an opportunity to actually be a part of this line up before Felix does. My honest opinion, the Portuguese league is a joke. As much as i love Benfica, it isnt very good.. on literally every level and if it wasnt pre-programmed into my DNA as a baby, i would never watch it. Jota plays in the best league in the world. He was a crucial part to the success of this Wolves team and deserves a shot at the starting 11. I always felt he was a better option then Andre Silva was... Also, regarding Felix.. he hasnt proven anything at all.. he has had a good year on a good Benfica team in a garbage league. I have seen this story so many times with young Portuguese players who have been made to be the next golden boy.. only to fall flat on his face. I really wish we (by we.. i mean mostly the media) would allow these kids to grow up and develop at their own pace and not compare everybody to Ronaldo, the pressure they must be facing is crazy to think about.. if its gonna happen, it will happen naturally.. no need to anoint them the next Ronaldo after 1 good year in Portugal. Lets please be patient with Felix..
The Liga isn’t garbage, Jimenez failed at Benfica bit was a success at wolves. These are false equivalences. The EPL is a very demanding league week in and week out but the skills of a lot of the EPL players don’t translate to more technical leagues and vice versa. This over simplistic view of which league is better than what infuriates me to be honest. While I agree Felix has only been an undisputed starter for Benfica since Lage took over his stats since then are unprecedented. He turns up on the big occasions & against quality players doesn’t hide. I like Jota but we are talking generational talent verse top talent. Only time will tell but what we’ve seen this year from Felix and also Bruno Fernandes in the Liga shouldn’t be understated
You make valid points regarding the translation of talents league to league. That doesnt change my opinion in relation to the over all talent of the Liga though, at the end of the day, European competitions say a lot about where the talents of the over all teams lay. That being said, we are discussing a specific player.. and it is entirely possible Felix would continue to perform anywhere in the world at the same rate.. as it is entirely possible he will fall flat on his face like other names in recent memory who were supposed to be the next big thing.... Nelson Oliveira, Andre Silva, Renato Sanches, Bruma, Gelson Martins, Joao Mario, etc.. Is felix different? possibly. My only point is he hasnt proven anything... literally nothing.. and yet the media and Portuguese fans alike have labeled him the next Ronaldo.. it isnt just unfair but in so many ways idiotic if the past says anything to us.. I can only hope that the worlds opinion of this kid is accurate and within the next couple seasons he makes a move to a big team while his career continues on the right path beneficial not only him to himself, but also to the Portuguese NT.. untill then... it may be wise to relax and let the kid grow naturally.. let nature take its course....
I personally don't think J.Mario and Renato "fell flat" but rather weren't given enough chances or time. I also think those 2 can excel anywhere if given time and direction. Mario did very well with West Ham imo. This year he also started a game after a couple months, and scored 2 and assisted 1 or 2 and was given motm. The very next game he was back on the bench, which to me is symbolic of a further issue rather than his talent. Renato was just to young and eager for Bayern, but I'm still confident he'll be fine when he finds a proper home. The rest I agree have disappointed.
-----------------------Patricio Cancelo-------Dias - - - pepe-------Guerreiro -----------------------William ------------Moutinho------Neves Bernardo----------Ronaldo-------Jota
Love that lineup. Does anyone have any idea how Guerreiro's form has been at Dortmund? I haven't heard much about him but also don't really follow the Budesliga