Euro 2012 Qualifiers Preview: Portugal v Denmark, Problems in the Portuguese Camp
Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo returns to his national side after being declared fit and fully recovered. The Portuguese Captain was picked as soon as he was made available ahead of the selection for the Euro qualifiers.
Portugal face Denmark today and later on they go up against Iceland. These are important fixtures and Portugal will be looking to secure all three points from both games.
Recently, Portugal have been facing problems on and off the pitch. There was the issue of the former coach, Carlos Queiroz, who was removed and finally replaced by Paulo Bento. Ronaldo’s under achievements were blamed on
Queiroz, who was said to have not made the most of the player’s talent. It is now up to Bento to find that winning formula - the same one Luiz Felipe Scorlari almost found; a chemistry which connects the entire team with Ronaldo as the key player.
What Portugal needs is a good strategy, and the development and rebuilding of the team. Moreover questions about Ronaldo as the captain of the national team are raised everywhere. The striker does have the star power, but
does he have what it takes to be a good inspirational leader? Can a young captain really handle the pressure that comes along with the role? These questions will be answered when Portugal take to the field today and Bento will decide if Ronaldo keeps the armband.
However, even the former Sporting Lisbon manager admitted that Ronaldo had too much pressure to deal with and he said he did not feel the armband was such an issue. According to Bento, all the players on the Portuguese team
were captains on the pitch; they were leaders in their own right. He told reporters, “Just because he [Cristiano Ronaldo] is the captain and one of the world’s best players does not mean that he’s got to sort out all our problems.”
Portugal’s 23 Man Squad
Eduardo; Beto; Rui Patricio; Silvio; Bruno Alves; Rolando; Pepe; Fabio Coentrao; Ricardo Carvalho; Joao Pereira; Tiago; Raul Meireles; Paulo Machado; Miguel Veloso; Joao Moutinho; Carlos Martins; Silvestre Varela; Nani; Hugo
Almeida; Liedson; Helder Postiga; Danny; Cristiano Ronaldo
Denmark’s 23 Man Squad
Anders Lindegaard; Thomas Sorensen; Daniel Agger; Johnny Thomsen; William Kvist; Simon Kjaer; Per Kroldrup; Leon Jessen; Lars Jacobsen; Thomas Kahlenberg; Michael Silberbauer; Martin Vingaard; Christian Eriksen; Christian
Poulsen; Nicklas Pedersen; Morten s****.; Michael Krohn-Dehli; Mads Junker; Lasse Schone; Dennis Rommedahl
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