Yeah it is a bit concerning, but the really good news is we have depth we haven't had in ages. I will say though, his second game for West Ham was pretty good. Also he has started 4/5 games for them. Keep in mind also that things can change very quickly so we have time. If he continues to stagnate or even regress, we have other options, this is why depth is crucial.
Joao Mario is a very talented player. but as stated, depth exists. me personally, if i was Santos (which im not), i would line up accordingly: --------------------Ronaldo------A.Silva -Guedes-------------------B.Silva-----------------Gelson -------------------------------William
with that being said, i cant ignore the fact that minus William (who is a turtle), there is no defensive ability in that line up, i dont see any of that midfield/forward combo tracking back at all and is a bit soft in the middle. The more i think about it, i can almost see Adrien Silva in that line up.. which is good and unfortunate all at the same time.
The two friendlies have been played. Where do you guys see Fernando Santos taking the NT from this point? who made a case for themselves? who played themselves off the team? Concerns? thoughts?
Currently, I dont see much of change from the qualifiers. I think Martins may have made a name for himself to maybe be regular sub along with RQ. Concern wise is still at CB. Will Dias make enough of an impact before the WC to take the starting role from Alves/Fonte? I still am wondering about Renato Sanches... Could he be someone who can be plugged into this group of players and play like he did at the Euro? Portugal can absolutely use his skill set for this WC. Just a waste of talent at the club level...
Man, considering he is injured and has not even played.. i dont see how Santos can justify bringing his demoralized self to the NT for the WC. Funny enough, i dont completely disagree with you, though. Even with his lack of playing time, i still feel he could be a useful piece, and at the very least, bring him to boost his confidence a bit, surround the group with more youthful swag, because at the end of the day.. though his current situation is not ideal, he is going to be a very important piece moving forward. In relation to Ruben Dias, not that any Portuguese fan needs it.. but watching videos as such, i dont see how Dias does not start along side Pepe, so unfortunate he got injured for these qualifiers.
He is my biggest disappointment for Portugal going into this WC. The kid has so much talent yet cant make it on the field for Bayern or Swansea. Some of that has to do with injury but its mostly because of being uncomfortable away from Portugal. He needs to come back to Benfica or another team in the Portuguese league and he will return to form. For this reason I feel if he plugged into MF on the national team at the WC he will do well. Maybe he still makes on the plane come June? He was on the bench during the last qualifier match against Switzerland.
A kid who is of similar age for Colombia Marlos Moreno is in a similar boat World Cup wise. Went to Spain and did not do much, now is in Brazil and is not playing either. I think he needs to just go back to Colombia. Once that happens he will be on the National Team radar again. I liked what Renato Sanches provided for Portugal on their run in 2016. I hope to see him play again for your team if not in Russia then the Nations League and Euro.
What exactly is the situation on Sanches? i know he has an injured thigh and returned to Munich for treatment. However, i have seen conflicting reports about his expected return... Anyone with more concrete information? This is true, and has often gone forgotten, Sanches could indeed be on that NT given even with his poor form, he was still called to the NT v Switzerland, and lets be honest, if guys like Andre Gomes with the form they are in can constantly make the team and start during select games.. why not someone with the talent of Sanches?
Crazy to hear that happening to someone else. Maybe being so young has them super uncomfortable being away from home. Going to a new country all by yourself with a huge language barrier at that young age must be super hard.
Yeah I dont know much about his current situation but I would still love to see him on the plane to Russia.
There could be many factors in each case. And each case could be different in many ways too. Who knows? Just want to see both players given a chance sooner rather than later. They both add vision and good midfield passing when each have played for their respective National Teams.
There is a slim chance we meet in quarter final. I appreciate if France national team send your glorious team back home next July!
He has had the better season and I think he's the better player. I already liked him more than Danilo or William when he was still at Porto. Easily the most technical and best on the ball, his well-rounded abilities makes the midfield more dynamic while still being strong defensively. Even though he spent the year in the Championship, it's not like the Primeira Liga is that much better, if it's better at all. It's a shame he was sold to Wolves, ********ing Mendes. If he stayed in Portugal I have no doubt he would be a lock for the squad. Although you were joking with the race thing, I'll say that I think Semedo should also be starting ahead of Soares and Cancelo.
If we want to continue the theme of unpopular choices, I think R.Pereira should start ahead of Semedo, Soares and Cancelo. Strange that Cancelo is tearing it apart for inter, yet you would be hard pressed to find a Portuguese that would want him to start.
Yes, i dont disagree that Neves is class in the making. Unfortunately, in my opinion, untill he proves his worth in the Premier League or NT, i do not envision him starting. I menton PL, not because the championship is low quality, is just not 1st division England, where as even though the championship may be on par with the Portuguese league, it is still 1st div. Portugal, and that does have some role to play in these sort of decisions.
Guarda-redes - Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Beto (Goztepe) e Rui Patrício (Sporting) Defesas - Bruno Alves (Rangers), Cédric Soares (Southampton), José Fonte (Dalian Yifang), Mário Rui (Nápoles), Pepe (Besiktas), Raphael Guerreiro (Dortmund), Ricardo Pereira (FC Porto) e Rúben Dias (Benfica) Médios - Adrien Silva (Leicester), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting), João Mário (West Ham), João Moutinho (Mónaco), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv), e William Carvalho (Sporting) Avançados - André Silva (Milan), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Gelson Martins (Sporting), Gonçalo Guedes (Valência) e Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas)
When it comes to player selections and tactics, I've often found Santos looking for conservative options. As far as Dias starting, when Santos was coaching Greece, he ultimately stuck with a defensive pairing of Sokratis and Avraam Papadopoulos for his first match at Euro 2012. This was a pairing he relied on in qualifying. At the time, Kyriakos Papadopoulos had a breakout season with Schalke, who had made the UCL semi-finals, and a lot of supporters felt Kyriakos should have started instead of Avraam. I also recall that Santos was reluctant to start Manolas (now at Roma) over Siovas (who is almost unheard of). Siovas was a more conservative choice, but thankfully this decision played itself out once Siovas fell out injured and that allowed Manolas to solidify his place in time for the World Cup in 2014. I also couldn't help but noticed discussions over the lack of depth in the midfield. It sounds like you guys could have used Zeca. The energy he plays with is unbelievable. He does enough running for two players. A tough player too who played good, clean tackles. For the life of my I can't understand why Santos didn't cap tie this guy at the bare minimum. A decent bench option who could run opponents off the pitch, which would come real handy in late stages of matches.
I have to agree with you accept when we are facing Spain. I would prefer a stay at home defensive midfielder. Now against all of our other opponents ? Hell ya.
Yeah well too bad Santos decided the likes of Manuel Fernandes are better, so he won't be playing at all.