I’d say Pepa at Vitoria had promoted the most youth players with a total of 8. I’m very much looking forward to seeing their progress this season under I coach who I believe is top top potential. I always have my questions when a player of African descent breaks though early, it’s an unfortunate reality of African football that they routinely do bone scans at youth tournaments so questions of age are not completely unfounded. However a player born in Portugal in this day & age wing questioned I think is pretty ordinary. I think Chico at Porto will get playing time, I honestly think he’s that good that he won’t be able to be ignored.
Ahaaha, Conceição is his Father, Mendes his agent, so it might help. Roger is Joelson cousin, was watching now Sporting vs Portimonense and from the younger players the ones who impressed me most, beside Inácio and Bragança was Gonçalo Esteves, played as a right back, of course Porro will start, but the potential is there. Quaresma and Joelson need to step up, hopefully Inácio can confirm his good signs, problem is that Sporting plays on a back 3, and on the NT Santos will never use that system to maximise players potential. We need younger players for Qatar as CB.
Another note regarding Porto pre season is that on the 3 games played Fabio Vieira played 90 minutes in 2 of them, 180 minutes for now, and one player who looks like is really playing well and scoring goals is Romário Baró. I just hope Fabio Vieira this season has the chance to explode, for me from the players born in 2000, Pedro Neto and Fabio Vieira have everything to be top players, still have some doubts regarding Vitinha. Meanwhile it looks today on a Lille friendly things got ugly between Tiago Djalo and Xeka and both saw a red card after a discussion, didn't saw the match. Regarding our most problematic position, at least for me, we still don't know what are the plans for Diogo Costa at Porto, I just cannot see Conceição dropping Marchesin for him, and Sporting refused if I have to believe the press a 5 million euros offer from Udinese related with Maximiano, it would be good for Portugal at least these 2 this season find a club to play. I say problematic because I think something must be fundamentally wrong with the way we work and coach goalkeepers, it's not possible 90% or more of the clubs in the Domestic League don't have a portuguese GK on their 11, it's not even a question of comparing with Brasil, Argentina or Italy, who traditionally produce very good keepers (Brasil more recently). Even Argentina or France produce much better keepers than us, we are very average on that matter. And we also need to produce better CB's, if we look to the best clubs in Portugal who has the chance to start every week beside Gonçalo Inácio? I don't even want to think on Ruben Semedo, Tiago Djaló or Ferro as a option for the NT, it's depressing to think this is the best we have, with the factor our coach is Santos.
Previously I wanted to say Brazil, Germany and Italy produce the best keepers instead Argentina, don't know why but wasn't possible to edit it.
I think Gonçalo Ramos has potential to breakout if JJ takes his head out of his ass and actually plays him regularly.
From the younger players from Sporting in the preseason the best so far has been Gonçalo Inácio, I doubt that he will not improve this season, for now maybe it would be safe for him playing with the under 21's and see how he does in the Champions League groupstage. Problem is we really lack good players for that position also at club level he plays on a back 3 and with that dinossaur on the bench we will always play a 4/3/3 or 4/4/2 without taking into acount the type of fullbacks we have are more suited to a back 3 or 5.
Watched Inacio in the pres season, it stil hurts my head how Rui Jorge chooses The two Diogos at the recent euros over him. This kid will be in the senior team before too long. For me along with Tiago Djalo look like the closest to having a breakout year
The only reason for that is the fact the 2 Diogos have played a lot of years as a CB partnership both for Porto and the National Team. But sometimes he also has strange choices, a couple of years ago he liked more Esgaio than Cancelo, before the knockout stage of the Under 21 Euros he seemed reluctant to play Pedro Gonçalves instead Jota. I know sometimes they have to value players who played for the under 17's or 19's but come on, it's baffling how Inácio was behind Leite or Queirós, I actually doubt any of those 2 will ever reach a high level, Leite will not start with Conceição, Queirós struggled at Famalicão.
I understand the decision is down to chemistry of the 4 diogos from Porto however Dsvid Carmo was also overlooked in those teams in the younger catergoried for that same reason. I think if Leite removed those errors from his game he could be a top defender but they occur too often.
I clicked into this thread wondering if anyone was mentioning Ramos. I'm pretty sure he scored about 8 goals across the first 5 matches I saw him play for various youth national teams and I've always been impressed by his finishing. Hopefully he gets a chance to break out at the club level while he's still just entering his 20s. He seems to have a unique ability to get the ball in the net one way or another.
his ability is without doubt, it just that JJ is a stubborn old man who doesn’t like you f players. He scored against Lille today, the guys a beast
Choosing to play a striker who scores when they get minutes should be about the easiest thing in the world for a football manager to do, and yet...
He likes youth players, as long as they dont speak Portuguese. I pray that Rui Costa sits JJ aside and tells him to play our youth players or get the f out of here
Another player from 2001 who I have some curiosity to watch how he does in Europe is Marcos Paulo. He has double nationality, born and raised in Brazil at Fluminense, signed contract with Atletico Madrid, doubt he has quality to stay there, possibly will be loaned don't know. But from that generation, and if he wants to compete for the under 21's (don't know if Rui Jorge wants him) Inácio, Marcos Paulo, and Gonçalo Ramos possibly are the 3 best players born in 2001 who can compete for Portugal. Sincerely doubt Umaro Embalo or Felix Correia will reach a good level.
Christian Marques 18 year old Swiss Portuguese centre back played for wolves in today’s pre season friendly, he’s a very good player but this season is probably to early for him but Lage has always shown in the past he’s not afraid to play the young players
Goncalo Inacio exceeded my expectations last season, this pre season he’s played like to a level I didn’t think he had in him. A good indicatir of a player with good potential imo is one who can rise to another when placed in that higher level. At this rate in when you consider he’s a left footed central defender you can see a call up to the seniors as soon as September for this guy. That throughly ball for Pote verse Lyon was sublime. What a player
The only small "problem" is that he plays on a back 3 since he reached the first team, and unfortunately under Santos even if your fullbacks are more suited to a 3 at the back system (Guerreiro, Cancelo, Mendes) he will always use the excuse you don't have time to train that system.
he’s a hell of player, as much as his dad doesn’t like young players he’s inevitable imo. roger made his competitive debut at 15, looks a good player in other matches I’ve seen, unfortunately didn’t get many touches this morning
How the hell Santos didn’t played Pote a single minute in the WC? Even Andre Silva had less minutes than Rafa. I know Nuno Mendes was injured but it’s getting more difficult to understand some of Santos choices. Anything less than qualifying in first place for Qatar and he needs to be sacked. Our press never puts this questions to him.
Rafa was good in the match he played. Dunno why you guys always mention Rafa but never Jota who was the worst player in the entire tournament
For me Jota and Bernardo Silva were useless, as Fernandes before, but maybe there's a reason fro so many players being useless there. Anyway think it's time for Bernardo Silva to leave his confort zone at City and move on to another club, reality is that this season he probably will have less minutes there with Foden already developing and if they sign Grealish he won't have many minutes...
What a goal by Fábio Vieira was impressed with him this year in the 21s finals reall hopefully he will push on this year