Portugal in play-off poser
Their biggest star may not be available but Portugal should have more than enough talent to shine against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At the start of the campaign, many pundits predicted that Portugal would sail through the qualification process for next years World Cup but a rather shambolic campaign nearly derailed them. Head coach Carlos Queiroz is rightly respected for the work he did at Manchester United alongside Alex Ferguson but his track record when he has been out on his own leaves a lot to be desired. If Queiroz fails to guide his team to South Africa, it is not an assumption to say he may be facing the sack.
7 goals in two games without reply in their October matches saw Portugal sneak into second place in the group and give themselves the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup via the play-offs. To get there, they will have to do so without Cristiano Ronaldo, their captain and talisman.
Image courtesy of senaealbuquerque
It is very rare that one makes a team and the Portuguese have more than enough quality but the form of Real Madrid without their multi-million man must be causing Queiroz a few sleepless nights. A home defeat to AC Milan is one thing but a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Alcorcon, a Spanish third division side, is an entirely different matter.
Similarly, Manchester United have looked a poorer team without their former number 7, with the ready made replacement Nani failing to live up to the hopes being placed upon him. It is time for the rest of the Portuguese squad to stand up and ensure that they, and their captain, will be spending the summer in South Africa.
Video courtesy of www.videosport.com
Portugal take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Lisbon on Saturday whereas the away leg takes place on Wednesday 18th November in Zenica.
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Portugal’s qualification is actually in the balance after tonight’s 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bosnians I’d suggest will be strong favourites to turn the tie around in Sarajevo after a strong qualification campaign where they finished second only to Spain in their Group, scoring 25 goals on the way. A tally only bettered by England, Germany and Spain.
Given the attacking threat of Edin Dzeko, Zvjezdan Misimovi? and Vedad Ibiševi? who have lit up the Bundesliga in the last 2 years, it will surely prove tough for the Portugese defence to keep a clean sheet.
Add to that Carlos Queiroz’s repeated failures as a head coach/manager and the absence of one Ronaldo, it’s easy to see why Miroslav Blaževi? may yet be heading for another World Cup.
Thats some great insight Jim, thanks for the input. I think both teams will be thinking they have a great chance of getting through. The fact that they never lost an away goal makes Portugal slight favourites for me….but a 1-0 deficit can be wiped out in minutes.
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