Second-guessing Portugal’s World Cup squad

Fernando Santos announced his 25-man squad yesterday at Cidade do Futebol on the outskirts of Lisbon and as always, the 63-year-old miracle worker sprung a few surprises.
 
The squad gives us an insight into the pool of players Santos is thinking of taking to Russia, but it certainly doesn’t tell us the whole story. PortuGOAL looks at the candidates to make that plane in the summer, position by position. 
 

Goalkeepers

Rui Patrício, Portugal’s undisputed number one has performed admirably and consistently again for Sporting this season. So much so, that he’s now on the radars of some of Europe’s elite. Anthony Lopes, meanwhile, has cemented himself as Lyon’s and arguably Ligue 1’s finest keeper. The likelihood of Lopes taking Patrício’s starting berth is slim, but it’s great to have such quality as a back-up.
 
Santos’ third choice keeper this time round was Beto, who is enjoying a fine campaign in Turkey’s Super Lig. Unlike previous years, all three of Portugal’s keepers are solid. Barring injury, this will be the threesome who represent the Seleção at World Cup 2018.
 
 

Right-back

Portugal boast four phenomenally talented right-backs, meaning that two are likely to miss out, despite all probably being able to walk into most national team squads with few qualms.
 
Santos opted to call up Cédric Soares and João Cancelo this time round, leaving Porto’s Ricardo Pereira and Barcelona’s Nélson Semedo out. Many feel that Ricardo Pereira’s exclusion is unjust which is understandable to an extent. However, he’s only recently returned from injury and while he was side-lined, João Cancelo has been performing admirably for a struggling Inter side. The latter also boasts and excellent record in a Portugal shirt, scoring three goals in just six games from right-back. Nélson Semedo is currently injured but he had struggled for game time prior to his injury. Unless he conjures up some form soon after his return, it’s looking increasingly likely that he will be watching the World Cup from home. Despite having a somewhat turbulent season at Southampton, Cédric’s place is all but confirmed as he always performs well in a Seleção shirt.
 
So it appears João Cancelo and Ricardo Pereira will go head-to-head to battle it out for a spot on the place to Russia. In the friendly matches against Egypt and the Netherlands next week Cancelo has a golden opportunity to put one foot in the door.
 
 

Centre-back

Centre-back is undoubtedly where the most uncertainly lays for Portugal at the moment. The scarcity of options, limited youthfulness and all-round lack of playing time amongst Portuguese centre-backs has been a worry of late amongst the Seleção faithful.
 
With Pepe not featuring due to injury, there are no real standout central defenders in this particular squad. José Fonte is reliable, but his aging limbs, lack of playing time and his recent move to China have prompted many to question whether he will be up to the task of starting this summer. Rolando, meanwhile received his first call up to the Seleção for four years. The former Porto man has performed admirably for Marseille this season and is a decent option to have on the bench should Portugal need him. Bruno Alves, however, has had a turbulent season in Glasgow which has been plagued by injuries. Despite his age, though, Alves has always been solid for Portugal when called upon and like Rolando is a decent option. 
 
Rúben Dias is the sole centre-back under the age of 30 and has excelled for Benfica this season, but can he adapt to Portugal’s game and deal with the step up in quality. These friendlies will give the youngster the spotlight he needs to reassure Santos that he is a viable option for the summer. Should he reciprocate his performances for the Eagles this season, it is not unreasonable to say he’s in with a shout of starting next to Pepe. Provided Pepe manages to remain injury free in the lead-up to the World Cup, one of the four (José Fonte, Rúben Dias, Rolando, Bruno Alves) will make way for the Besiktas man, meaning these friendlies are key for Santos to make his appraisal.
 
 

Left-back

Raphaël Guerreiro is Portugal’s best left-back. However, in spite of his youthfulness, the Dortmund man is alarmingly injury prone. This season, he’s played a mere 737 minutes. Not only this, but since the turn of the year, he’s only played 55 minutes. With such a worrying lack of playing time, it’s perhaps a little strange that Santos decided to include the French born left-back – especially with Napoli’s Mário Rui playing well week-in-week-out for a strong Napoli side.
 
Fábio Coentrão, has enjoyed an injury free season at Sporting and is thriving. Should he remain fit, he’s undoubtedly Portugal’s second-best left-back. Yet, despite Guerreiro and Coentrão’s quality, their proneness to injuries is worrisome. The latter has already played in excess of 2,000 minutes this season for Sporting. Having said that, it’s highly unlikely that Santos will include Guerreiro in the final World Cup squad unless he is sure he is physically capable.
 
 

Midfield

Competition for a spot in Portugal’s midfield is arguably the most competitive it’s ever been. To put it simply, the Seleção are well and truly stacked in this department. This time around, Santos opted to go with William Carvalho and Rúben Neves for the holding midfield spot. Danilo Pereira would usually accompany William in that role but the Porto man is currently injured. William has been his usual silky-smooth self this season and looks set to remain Portugal’s undisputed starter in front of the back four. Rúben Neves, meanwhile, is flourishing in England’s second tier, cementing himself as one of the standout players in the Championship so far this season. Neves is likely to lose his place in the squad once Danilo returns, but the upcoming friendlies give the Wolves maestro a great opportunity to impress. Having a player that boasts the quality of Neves as a third choice holding midfielder epitomises the quality and depth Portugal currently possess.
 
Ahead of the trinco, Santos called up João Moutinho, Bruno Fernandes, Manuel Fernandes, Adrien Silva, João Mário and André Gomes. These half dozen midfielders have had a mixed bag of fortunes thus far in 2017/18. Many of Portugal’s standout performers from their European Championship triumph are struggling for game time and form. André Gomes, despite finding some relatively decent form last month, can only manage ten or fifteen-minute cameos for La Blaugrana. João Mario, now at West Ham on loan, is yet to impress in the Premier League, producing a number of below-par performances that have resulted in him being benched of late. Adrien Silva’s transfer debacle with Leicester certainly did him no favours, and of late he’s only played a handful of games and is yet to perform to the best of his ability on a consistent basis.
 
Portugal’s standout midfielders this season have been the Fernandes duo – Bruno and Manuel. Manuel Fernandes has put in a number of impressive displays throughout the season, and his arsenal of tricks certainly differs from that of his compatriots. Performing well in these friendlies is essential for the Lokomotiv man as competition is rife in midfield and Santos will only be able to take 23 players to Russia, meaning one of the midfielders is likely to lose their place. Bruno Fernandes is in a similar situation as he’s yet to feature heavily for the Seleção and will have to continue to put in great performances to be in with a shout of a call-up. The sad reality is that one of the Fernandes’ is likely to miss out, despite being the two most in-form Portugal midfielders. 
 
Last but not least, there’s João Moutinho. Monaco’s pint-sized maestro has been consistent for the French outfit and is likely to be Fernando Santos’ go-to man for that position at this moment in time. Bar William Carvalho and João Moutinho, I don’t think that any of the aforementioned midfielders have their place secured, meaning these friendlies are unfathomably important for the remaining midfielders.
 
 

Forwards

As is the case with Portugal’s depth in midfield, the Seleção’s attacking options are mouth-watering to say the least. It’s a wonderful blend of experience and young, ambitious talent. Besides André Silva – who has struggled for game time under Gattusso – all of Portugal’s attacking options have had stellar campaigns. 
 
Gonçalo Guedes has been turning heads and terrorising La Liga’s defenders week-in-week-out and is by no means showing any signs of slowing down. Despite Bernardo Silva’s slow start at Manchester City, he’s been one of their key men of late, scoring goals against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Basel. At 34 years young, Ricardo Quaresma is enjoying one of his finest ever seasons in Turkey’s Super Lig, bamboozling defenders with his endless bag of tricks and his otherworldly trivelas. Ronaldo endured his yearly critics after struggling to find form early on in La Liga. However, he has exploded into top form in 2018, scoring a phenomenal 18 goals since the New Year. In terms of statistics, Gelson is having his finest ever campaign as a professional, scoring nine goals and notching six assists.
 
Many were a little perplexed by his inclusion ahead of Rony Lopes, who is having a wonderful run of form with Monaco. However, in spite of his poor performances for Portugal, I think that on his day Gelson is superior to the other options (Bruma and Rony Lopes) and can terrorise any defence.
 
As previously mentioned, the only one of Portugal’s attacking options to have struggled this season is André Silva. Portugal’s number nine has only started five games in Serie A, and only managed to score his first goal in the league this past weekend. However, the chemistry he and Ronaldo have when playing together has been a revelation for the Seleção, and for that reason, I think he’s more than worthy of a spot in the squad.
 
By Marino Peixoto