exactly he is an all time world 11 LWF/LF but he is a mediocre CF when not playing against weak opposition he just is. that's not meant as an insult it's just an accurate assessment of him as a player and if he does not have the legs to play his proper position or if the manager prefers a younger option on the left then he can't play. Ramos is the first good CF Portugal has had since Pauleta and Nuno Gomes unless you count Andre Silva who had form for a couple of seasons before he lost it again. Historically it's been a weak position for Portugal and while some managers believe you can play without a true CF because of the advent of the false 9 this is not a system that has actually been successful. Even if the CF does not score goals having a CF that runs in behind links up and holds up the ball with his back to goal is something nearly the vast majority of teams that have won leagues cups in Europe or international cups have had in their 11 going back since forever but yes even in modern times with a few outlier exceptions. Even in 2012 with Postiga it was better as Ronaldo had a CF to play off. You need someone just to do the job even if they are limited in their technique/speed etc. It makes a team very easy too defend against when you have a lwf/lf floating around in the half space or just waiting in the box for crosses.
This is very true and I have said this for many years . Ronaldo played best when there were two strikers but he is no longer that player . Even when we finally did get him chances , he failed . The sooner we and he accept that his time had passed, the better off our NT will be . On another note , Vitinha needed a different midfielder along his side to do well . His strong suit imo is not sending through balls . Paulinha , while I love this player is even worse sending through balls. Wish we had a chance to see Vitinha with Neves . The other elephant in the room is that I have yet to see Bruno play a good game along side of Ronaldo but have seen him play well without Ronaldo
Time passed...a few months ago after leading in Euro qualifying. Not saying he hasn't lost a step but he's miles better than Kane or Weghorst But again a post ignoring when Queiroz put him as a lone striker he never scored and in qualifying was either partnered with a striker or playing the flank in a 3 forward attack. Never as a sole striker. I guess Ronaldo must have been passed his prime under Queiroz too.
I love how people here s**t on CR (yes he’s old) but forget about bad Bruno/Bernardo played… they didn’t show up and are in their prime. I would consider transforming Portugal mf…buy right now our attacking forwards needs work.
Every Game he was partnered or playing from either side of a 3 forward attack. Never started as a sole striker in the middle
4-2-3-1 would change this team. you need a support striker. The wings is where I’m worried about…Nani/CR/Q/Varela… wtf happened?!
You are in denial , lost a step ? Lol much more than a step . It’s significant loss of speed , leap and touch . I don’t take any pleasure pointing out the obvious . Missing tap ins is not a matter of one or two strikers, not being properly supported is also not reason for finishing . Walking back and being offside for possible punter attack passes etc . Your love for him is blinding to how much he has declined, especially against teams with pace .
Against what kind of competition ? Come on dude ! We shit on Paulleta for scoring against smaller teams and now you use how Ronaldo scored against very weak qualifying teams that we faced .
You are not wrong. Also, Portugal dreams of being a grande team like Spain but the reality is what the federation is doing with Ronaldo would never fly in the Spanish team. They want to get every penny out of Ronaldo that they can. All that matters in Portuguese football is money, not success or development. Hence, we will keep on failing. Spain just won a euro while their team was in transition mode. Winning was not an expectation when this tournament began for them. A top 4 finish, sure, but not winning. With Spain, It doesn’t matter what your name is, if you are not good enough, you are not playing for them.
This is partially a Ronaldo thing and partially a Jorge Mendes thing. FPF is in bed with Mendes. Just a few months ago we were calling up dude like Toti Gomes. Neves is playing in Saudi Arabia. No team wants Felix. Our back RB (who plays in fucking Wolverhampton) got tons of minutes. All whole better plays stayed home. It's not hard to see what the FPF is.
I was so distracted by Ronaldo that I forgot about Jorge Mendes. That man will always have his fangs in the national team. We are so screwed.
Now that Puma will produce the selecao kit, I'm betting that Ronaldo will stick around to sell more jerseys for Puma. Im guessing it was part of the deal?
Even Southgate resigned from England and he made it to back to back finals (yes I know they had easier opponents). They can actually hire a decent manager for their talented squad now. Meanwhile, not a freaking peep from the FPF or Martinez, we're gonna be stuck with the Pep from Wish wasting another generation.
Pepe retires at 41 years of age. Hated facing him, but on the national team he's probably our best ever defender. At least the most impactful, he was one of the pillars of Euro 2016 Time to see if the next gen can step up
Was hoping he’d play one more year. Still our best cb and could easily get a one year deal at many good European clubs
well he’s better than your overrated Bruno . Even if called (which he was today), he will never play because of that through ball merchant