At 3:45 a.m. Beijing time on Friday, the semi-finals of the European Zone play-offs of the World Preliminary Round, Portugal played against Turkey. In the face of an opponent with good strength, the Five Shields Legion itself has many problems and is in crisis!
Defensive problems: 3 main players are absent
The first to bear the brunt is the back line. Ruben Díaz, who plays for Manchester City, is one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and even in European football, and is also the new core of Portugal's defensive line, but has been confirmed to be absent due to injury.
To make matters worse, the 39-year-old veteran Pepe was diagnosed with covid-19 and had to miss the semi-finals! As a result, only 38-year-old Fonte and 20-year-old Inásio are left in the center-back position, and Jallow, who has joined the team, plays more full-back at the club.
In addition, Canceló, the main full-back for Manchester City, is suspended, and Manchester United's Dalot or Arsenal's Cedric will replace him. As a result, only the left-back of the defensive four is still there, with Dort's Guerrero and Paris's Nuno Mendes both playing.
Offensive Question: How Do the Top 5 Stars Coexist?
Compared with the back line of the lack of major generals, Portugal's midfield is still extremely luxurious, sitting on the five superstars of C Ronaldo, Jota, B Fee, B Seat and Felix! But how they coexist compatibly has always been a problem that plagues the old coach Santos.
Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugal's top player and firmly occupies the position of the main centre-forward, which has left Jota, who plays as a centre-forward at Liverpool, to the wing, but the latter has scored more goals at the club this season.
The same goes for Felix, who performed well in the Champions League elimination of Manchester United, but had difficulty getting the opportunity and space to play in the national team.
B Fee and C Ronaldo are Manchester United teammates, but whether in the national team or the club, the cooperation between the two is not as tacit as imagined, and there is no 1+1>2 synergy. The B fee and the B seat did not become the double core of Portugal, but affected each other's performance in the national team.
As for Leo of AC Milan, Andre Silva of Leipzig, and Guedes of Valencia, the order is even lower.
In short, Portugal has problems at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, which also led to their stop at the Round of 16 at the European Championship last year, and the World Cup failed to qualify directly, can they overcome the difficulties of Turkey and even Italy? It's a big question!