Portugal give Fernando Santos more problems than solutions

After an unconvincing win over Egypt and a loss to the Netherlands, Portugal manager Fernando Santos faces a tough task in selecting his World Cup squad.

The provisional World Cup squads need to be submitted by May 14 and Fernando Santos will be scratching his head as to which of his  Portugal players will make the cut. The international break served as the last chance for him to get a close-up look at his troops, and Monday’s 3-0 loss to the Netherlands will have been a sharp reminder that a lot of work needs to be done.

Keen to give everyone a fair shot, Santos fielded heavily-rotated sides for Portugal’s matches against Egypt and the Netherlands. Surprise inclusion Rolando and captain Cristiano Ronaldo were the only players who started both matches, while undisputed goalkeeper Rui Patricio was the only player not to feature.

The results

Portugal vs. Egypt, March 23 2018

The reigning European champions took on Egypt in Switzerland last week Friday. In-form Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah put the Egyptian’s ahead in the 56th minute and looked to have earned his side the win before Ricardo Quaresma and Ronaldo combined twice in added-time to steal a late win. 2-1 the final score.

Portugal vs. Netherlands, March 26 2018

Three days later, a rampant Netherlands tore through Portugal to claim a 3-0 win. The Dutch side, who failed to qualify for the World Cup, scored all three goals in the first half and prevented Ronaldo from even getting a shot on target. Portugal improved in the second-half, even after Joao Cancelo was red-carded, but the damage had already been done.

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Lessons learned

Defense remains a major concern

The biggest lesson learned is one which Santos will have already been aware of: Portugal have a big problem in defense. Real Madrid center-back Pepe, who is recovering from a broken toe, remains the most important cog in Portugal’s backline and his absence was sorely felt. The aging trio of Bruno Alves, Jose Fonte and Rolando all struggled against faster opposition with the latter two particularly poor against the Netherlands.

There’s an over-reliance in Cristiano Ronaldo

Another concern for Portugal is the nation’s apparent over-reliance on captain Ronaldo. He has scored 21 goals in the nation’s last 21 matches following Euro 2016, including 15 in World Cup qualifying. Andre Silva impressed with nine goals in qualifying but the 22-year-old has struggled for form of late following a club move to AC Milan. The attacking pair are supported by creative players such as Ricardo Quaresma, Bernardo Silva and Nani (should he make the squad) but if Silva fails to fire then all of the pressure will rest on Ronaldo to score the goals. Mind you, he’s pretty good at doing just that.

Portugal shouldn’t be considered front-runners

It’s strange to suggest that the reigning European Champions aren’t one of the favorites to challenge for the World Cup but that’s the case for this Portugal side. The core of the already-aging squad which triumphed in 2016 are now entering their mid-30s and have shown signs that they’ve passed their peak. It would be wrong to write off a side that have so recently shown themselves capable of winning major honors but it will take a mammoth effort for Portugal to add a World Cup title to their cabinet in June.

Portugal’s next matches are against Tunisia, Belgium and Algeria in May/June (after the provisional World Cup squad has been announced).