I've been following Euro 2008 and I have enjoyed watching the competition thus far. I watched two impressive victories thus far Spain's 4-1 brilliance over Russia and the Netherlands' thrashing of Italy.
I want to draw some attention right now to the Portuguese, who seem to be in good form, as they have won both of their matches thus far. Although they don't look to me as impressive as the Netherlands or Spain, they get the job done and have been beating their opponents quite convincingly, but i don't think the score lines in both their matches truly reflected how close their games were. The only difference between them and the teams they have beaten is that they took their opportunities when they came, and in football this is what separates the best from the rest.
Portugal has a good team with the likes of captain Nuno Gomes, Simao, Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, but do they have what it takes to be crowned the best of Europe. With the lineup they possess I believe they are capable of doing it but I really don't see them winning this one. They have a good midfield but their defense looks a bit shaky at times and their chemistry seems to be a bit off. I do like the way Cristiano Ronaldo is playing, as he is passing the ball a lot more than he would had he been playing for Manchester United, but I'm never overly impressed with the things he does.
One thing that I have really questioned about this Portuguese team is the fact that team coach, Luiz Scolari allows Ronaldo to wear the captain's armband when Nuno Gomes is substituted. Personally, I think the band should be given to a more experienced player like Deco, but I guess the armband is given to Ronaldo to boost his confidence. However he is still very young and I don't think he's ready to lead the national team.
Overall Portugal are playing well and with a little bit more time together they most likely will get better, we just have to wait and see how they hold up against the bigger guns of the competition. Good luck to Portugal.
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