The Portuguese team has announced the World Cup squad, and long before the list was announced, the old coach Santos directly and decisively said: I hope that some players who are not selected for the final list can forgive themselves.
In a way, Santos has obviously decided on the list long ago, and this list is also destined to disappoint some players.
Portugal coach Santos
Portugal's squad includes only about two unexpected losers: veteran Moutinho and Fonte, and the controversial loser is Sanchez.
Why does Liaoqiujun think that Sanchez's defeat is not so unexpected? The reason is simple, a full year has passed since the last time Sanchez played for Portugal! Sanchez last made his last appearance on 15 November 2021, when Portugal hosted Serbia, and has not been seen since.
On the other hand, veterans Moutinho and Fonte, who were selected for at least the March 2022 play-offs and made one appearance, while the 36-year-old Mudinho even played in the UEFA Nations League in June, and this time, Sanchez is still not selected.
At the same time, Mesozoic players, including João Mario, Vitinha Ferreira, Parrña and other Mesozoic players, gradually consolidated their positions, so Mudinho completely lost his position, Fonte and Sanchez, one was about the same age as Pepe, the other could not get playing time in Paris, and finally both were lost.
Mudinho's defeat is indeed regrettable
Even though Moutinho and Fonte are still the main players at their respective clubs, it is certain that this World Cup will be their last chance to play in the World Series, but it is all over early.
Of Portugal's 26-man squad, 16 are playing for the first time in the World Cup!
1. Analysis of the list of strikers of the Portuguese team
From the point of view of Liaoqiujun, only Gonzalo Ramos' selection in the six-man list of Portuguese strikers is an accident, of course, Gonzalo Ramos is indeed the reason for the injury of Diogo Jota and Neto, he will only be a substitute for Portugal.
It is certain that Ronaldo and Leo can basically lock in the two main positions, of which Ronaldo naturally needless to say, as he gets older, his position is indeed moving forward, even in the Portuguese team, he will play as a center forward in most cases.
Ronaldo is still the absolute workhorse
The young Leo has emerged in AC Milan in recent years, especially in the last two seasons, he is not only AC Milan's dribbling king, but also in the Serie A range, few people can compare with him.
In a way, Leo is likely to be the main player in charge of the Portuguese team, and he will be a very important role, and the Portuguese team will need him to be on the line at all times to make the team's attacking power work.
In addition, Joao Felix, under Simeone's guidance this season, he has started to play more in the center position, but to be honest, the performance is quite average, and now, Leo, who is the same age as him, is on top, but closer to the main position than him, which is indeed embarrassing.
The person in the right front will most likely not be a player in Portugal's forward list, but Manchester City's midfield superstar: Bernardo Silva.
The B seat is closer to the front in Portugal
As Manchester City's jack-of-all-trades star, B is closer to the front in Portugal, and the position of right winger is often played by him, he is not only active in running, good at pressing and intercepting, but also in attack, he can also become the team's finisher + assist, which can be said to be an extremely well-rounded star.
In the past, when Diogo Jota was not injured, the Portuguese team usually used Jota, Ronaldo and B as the striker, and the attacking power was completely guaranteed, but now the problem is that the 23-year-old Leo may replace Jota, but he has played 11 games for Portugal and has still not scored, and he cannot make up for Jota's shooting ability, which also means that Ronaldo had better seize every shooting opportunity, otherwise, Portugal's attacking power will inevitably drop significantly.
6 strikers for Portugal
Therefore, although the Portuguese team gave six strikers on the surface, in fact, Portugal has seven strikers, and Jota's injury is a big blow to the Portuguese team.
2. Portugal has 10 midfielders?
In terms of the number of midfielders, Portugal seems to have the largest number of midfielders, with as many as 10 men, but as we mentioned earlier, Bernardo Silva will basically be in this position on the right side of the front of the national team, so when Portugal arranges the starters, he can basically be eliminated in the midfield position.
In addition, there is Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Danilo Pereira, in fact, similar to Sanchez's situation, Danilo Pereira is also difficult to get the main position in Paris, but the problem is: Danilo Pereira can not only play in midfield, he can also play in the position of central defender with outstanding physical condition, which is the main reason why Santos chose him!
The Portuguese midfielder looked at the crowd
So, in reality, the Portuguese team has about eight midfielders, and Danilo Pereira is basically called up as a defender (so Danilo Pereira is placed among the defenders).
The heart of Portugal's midfield is Bruno Fernandes, who has made a total of 17 appearances in more than a year, making Portugal's most appearances and time in this World Cup list, and he is bound to occupy a main position.
The other two main positions, Ruben Neves will most likely occupy one, in addition to Fulham midfielder Parinia or Willian Carvalho, which is basically the main choice for Portugal's midfield.
3. Portugal defenders
Portugal's defender is also relatively clear: 20-year-old Nuno Mendes on the left is becoming a regular and it is difficult for Guerrero to compete; In terms of central defense, Pepe and Dias are the combination with the most pairings, and Danilo will be an important addition, and now Pepe may temporarily become the main force after a long-term injury; On the right side, there is no doubt that Joao Cancelo will be the absolute workhorse.
Portugal defender candidate
Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva, like 21-year-old striker Ramos, has yet to make a single appearance for Portugal and is likely to be a sparring player.
As for goalkeepers, due to Patricio's age and injuries in the past season, Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa will join the competition (chatter is actually more inclined to Costa as the main force), and it is difficult to find too many new highlights in the Portuguese backline.
Santos is indeed doing a "blood change" of the lineup
Considering that the national team coach, unlike club coaches, will have their own fixed team for a long time, the situation of the Portuguese team will not change much, mainly due to injuries and the poor form of some players, and finally did not make the selection.
From the perspective of this World Cup, the overall value of the Portuguese team is indeed the top team, but in terms of hard power, the Portuguese team is definitely not the top team, in the absence of Jota, the main scorer, the Portuguese team wants to win the World Cup is quite difficult, perhaps what is needed will be a bigger miracle than 2016.
Santos has selected 16 players who have never played in the World Cup this year, presumably taking into account that after the World Cup, Portugal will inevitably start to renew.
Portugal needs to avoid Brazil
And how far Portugal can go in the end, Liaoqiujun believes that whether or not it can get the first place in the group will affect the future of Portugal, Portugal's group H, the second group will face Brazil Group G first, the first group will face Group G second, realistically speaking, Portugal can only avoid the biggest favorite Brazil if the group is first or out!