WHY PORTUGAL WILL FAIL IN BRAZIL

Portugal is one team which has been in the limelight in the past decade when it comes to major tournaments but it has failed to deliver. It has been in the world cup during the previous three editions and was successful in reaching the semifinals during the 2006 season. Portugal has never won a world cup or any major trophy till date and I am certain that not many will be tipping them to be victorious this time around as well.

Portugal will be depending on Cristiano Ronaldo who is undoubtedly the best player in the world along with Lionel Messi. Portugal is one-man team and rarely a one man army wins in this sport. Football is a team game and you can’t just depend on a single person to pull it off for the team. Portugal is in a situation where ronaldo has an off day and they are out of the competition. Joao Moutinho provides the team with a strong presence in the centre of the pitch, but Miguel Veloso, Raul Mereiles and Nani are nowhere near to world class. William Carvalho, meanwhile, could be world-class one day, but right now, he’s a 22-year-old with limited international experience. Even in the attacking third, it’s a similar story. There’s Ronaldo, and then there’s the rest. Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida are serviceable players, but they’re not world-beaters. This current squad is a far cry from Portugal’s golden generation, which featured players like Maniche, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Deco and Pauleta. Ronaldo played with those legends as a youngster, and they came agonisingly close to the ultimate prize, with a semi-final berth in 2006.

Bento’s side is placed in a very tough group with one of the tournament favorites Germany. Furthermore, USA and Ghana are no pushovers either and there are literally no easy matches in the group stage for the Portuguese. Their first match itself is against Low’s highly favored Germans and a bad result could set the alarm bells ringing. If Portugal finish second behind Germany in the group, they could be in line to face the tournament dark horse Belgium. Portugal made their way to the world cup finals through play offs and has suffered against the weaker teams during its run. It won’t be surprising if the Portugal team faces an early exit from the World cup.

If there is a strong second reason why Portugal could win in 2014 is because of the location of the tournament – Brazil. The Portuguese discovered Brazil and it is the language still spoken in South America’s largest country. Chances are Portugal will feel very much at home in Brazil as so many Brazilians will be cheering for Portugal when the hosts are not playing.

I think that they can make the final four. Winning it is an illusion, but with Ronaldo and some other good players Portugal can dream. But for me the team is still too short to win the tournament.