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Portugal’s Euro 2008 campaign: the PortuGOAL appraisal

Frustrating exit tempered by optimism as regards future

Fresh from covering Portugal's participation at Euro 2008, Andy Brassell runs the rule over the performance of the Selecção, and shares his thoughts on the new coach's chances of leading the country to a successful 2010 World Cup...

You would have to go a long way to find such a downcast set of players as the Portuguese squad who dejectedly slinked out of St Jakob-Park in Basel just before midnight on Thursday 19th June. This group were understandably disappointed after earlier affecting such a bright opening to Euro 2008, and the overriding sentiment was that they felt the tournament had been a missed opportunity.

But looked back on a few weeks later, it can only be a positive sign that such a young set of players felt this way about a quarter-final loss to pre-tournament favourites and eventual finalists Germany.

Luiz Felipe Scolari presided over an era of great change for Portugal (as well as one of great success), losing Rui Costa and Fernando Couto after Euro 2004 and then Luis Figo and Pauleta after the 2006 World Cup. While Portugal may have gone into this Euro looking a fair bit younger than in the last one, a quick glance at the number of newspaper transfer whispers surrounding squad members told its own story of the riches available for the Brazilian to choose from.

In acknowledging the overall quality of the current group, we lay to rest a major worry that had dogged the build-up to Euro 2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo reliance. Much like the run-up to Scolari’s own most celebrated performance at an international tournament – the 2002 World Cup with Brazil – the team’s form was poor in the months preceding the championship. February’s friendly defeat to Italy in Zurich was particularly worrying in terms of Ronaldo appearing isolated from his colleagues by several levels of quality.

Squad effort

The good news when the real thing got started in Switzerland was that the Manchester United man wasn’t on his own after all – Deco, Simao and Ricardo Carvalho reaffirmed their class, while less experienced heads like Pepe and Joao Moutinho stepped up to the plate too.

Scolari has a history of calling on the vast majority of his squad at some stage and the players responded well to all feeling involved, but the coach wouldn’t have done had he not felt the quality was available (even if the defeat to Switzerland had seemed like a bit of a failed experiment).

If the manner of the exit to Germany made clear – to any who didn’t already know – that there are some defensive issues to be addressed, especially that of who will keep goal in the qualifying campaign for South Africa 2010, there was plenty to encourage in the manner in which Portugal opened the tournament. “Beautiful, organised chaos,” is how it was described by former Benfica striker Pierre van Hooijdonk, in Switzerland commentating for Turkish television.

Scolari allayed fears that his side’s central striking options were weak by pointing out he had – in his words – four of the best ten wingers in the world, but it wasn’t just them that provided the entertainment. Moutinho’s technical qualities were as outstanding as his maturity, and even Pepe joined in with the attack, as shown by his wonderful strike for Portugal’s first Euro 2008 goal.

The positive thing going into the future is that it wasn’t the team’s tactical philosophy that was at fault against Germany, but instead basic – and avoidable – marking deficiencies.

Young pool of talent

So while Portugal’s players will be left with a feeling of what might have been as they relax on far-flung beaches, they can be encouraged by the knowledge that most of the squad will be there again in South Africa (qualification notwithstanding), and in the case of Miguel Veloso, Nani, Moutinho and Rui Patricio, now with invaluable big competition experience to boot.

Should the likes of Manuel Fernandes, Manuel Da Costa, Helder Barbosa or maybe even Adrien Silva step up to join them, Portugal could a formidable proposition in two years’ time.



What do you think? Was the performance of Portugal at Euro 2008 good, bad or somewhere in between, and what are the prospects for the national team as regards the 2010 World Cup? Add your opinion using the form below.