Euro 08

As I write this, 5 days, 14 hours separate us from the start of Euro 08. If your are a fan of futebol, like me, then this is the event of the summer, this is the event we have been waiting for since July of 06.
In 06, Portugal equaled their greatest mark in a world tournament, when they came in 4th, but the team left us all with the feeling that they could have very well have surpassed the 1966 mark set by Eusebio and company.


Since the 06 World Cup, Portugal has gone through some major changes, and is clearly a team in a transition phase, almost half the players will make their major competition debut, they are: Moutinho, Meireles, Bruno Alves, Veloso, Quaresma, Nani, Bosingwa, Jorge Ribeiro, Pepe and Rui Patricio.

Here's a look at the chosen 23 by Scolari:


Ricardo
32
Club: Betis

Ricardo has been Scolari's choice for #1, ever since the Brazilian took over the national team. He brings experience, and despite not having the best of years at Betis this year, amidst injuries and falling out of favor with Hector Cuper, Ricardo will most likely be in goal when Portugal kicks off against Turkey, this coming Saturday. Who can forget the 3 penalties he saved against England, which included the famous bare hands save.
On top of his game, Ricardo can be one of the best keepers in the competition, but he can also be spotty at times.





Quim
32
Club: Benfica

Quim makes his 3rd consecutive major competition roster, and comes into the Portuguese camp as the keeper in the best form of the 3. He had a career year at Benfica this year, and one can argue(myself included) that he could very well be worthy of the #1 spot, but it'll be highly unlikely. His second half start against Georgia was a bit of a surprise, perhaps a message from Scolari.
Unless Ricardo has a poor showing in the first couple of games, it'll be hard for Quim to be in between the posts for any of the games, shame really.






Rui Patricio
20
Club: Sporting

Patricio is Scolari's 3rd choice for keeper, he is seen as the future generation, and as it is usual from Scolari to call a young keeper as the 3rd keeper(Moreira 04, Bruno Vale 08- was later substituted by Paulo Santos because of an injury). Patricio is going along for the experience of being involved in a major competition and also for the learning experience that can be very valuable for the future of this talented young keeper. He had an up and down year, but Paulo Bento stuck with him, and he showed how much he matured.






Paulo Ferreira
29
Club: Chelsea

Paulo Ferreira also comes into his 3rd consecutive major competition, despite losing his starting job in Euro 04, due to a bad first game performance, Ferreira has endured the years and has remained consistent throughout. He comes into the squad as the prime candidate for the left back position, despite being a natural right back. It is that flexibility and his consistent performances that Scolari admires, he plays simple and despite not being the fastest of defenders, his positioning and quick game reads make him a valuable player to the squad.





Bruno Alves
26
Club: Porto

Alves makes his debut in major competitions, despite some of his rough house tactics, he is a dominating force in the center of the defense. He has in is aerial game his best weapon.
Despite being used with some frequency in some of the qualifiers, he will most likely be on the bench at the start of the tournament, but that can very well change as the tournament goes on. He is dangerous on set pieces and is coming off a good year, which should give him very high levels of confidence.






Bosingwa
25
Club: Chelsea(Porto)

Undoubtedly the best right back of the Bwin, Bosingwa made his national team debut during the qualifying stages, and hasn't lost the right back position since, taking advantage of Miguel's mid-season injury.
Bosingwa was born in the Congo Republic, but has been in Portugal since a young child. Fast, athletic and tireless are some of the qualities which have made him flourish in the past 3 years. He has just been transferred to Chelsea for a reported 30mm, no doubt one of the players to watch. He is one of the players that will make the difference offensively coming out of the back.






Fernando Meira
30
Club: Stuttgart

It'll be the 3rd major competition for Meira, who was an important player for Portugal during the 06 WC, grabbing the starting job after Andrade went down to injury, he played every single minute of the 06 WC.
He will probably not start but he is Scolari's first choice off the bench for the center of the defense. His knowledge of Carvalho's ways make him a serious candidate to replace Pepe. He can also play defensive mid if need be, and he is perfect to bring in at the end of the game as the 5th defender. Strong in the air, and experienced.





Miguel
28
Club: Valencia

Miguel will be playing in his 3rd major competition, and just like in Euro 04 he will most likely be watching from the bench. He has been the national team's right back since he substituted Paulo Ferreira in Euro 04 after the first game, losing his spot only due to injury. He has serious competition from Bosingwa, and from the looks of things, Bosingwa might be starting. Miguel came into camp with some physical limitations as he had just recovered from an injury, and Bosingwa seems to have an edge. He shares Bosingwa's attacking characteristics but the defending edge has to go to the Chelsea man.
Nevertheless, a great option to have for Scolari.




Jorge Ribeiro
27
Club: Boavista

Jorge Ribeiro makes his debut in an international competition, both on a national team level and at a club level. Along with Veloso, He is the national team's only natural left footed player. After a great year at Boavista he comes into camp as an alternative to the left back position, he can also play in the defensive midfield slot, which is where he played all season for Boavista.
Could be a great alternative for Paulo Ferreira, but not having played left back all season, will he be able to answer the call?






Pepe
25
Club: Real Madrid

Born in Brazil but naturalized Portuguese in 07, Pepe will be making his debut for Portugal in a major competition. He was called by Scolari in the final stages of qualifying and seems to have won a place in Scolari's nucleus. Everything points for Pepe to be along side Carvalho, when Portugal takes the field against Turkey.
He is quick and strong in the air, and despite not having many minutes under his belt along side Carvalho he seems the ideal complement to Carvalho. With him and Carvalho at the top of their game, it'll be very hard to beat Portugal's defense.





Ricardo Carvalho
30
Club: Chelsea

Carvalho first burst on the scene after Scolari's line up shuffle in Euro 04 after the first game against Greece. He replaced Fernando Couto in the line up and never looked back since then. He has been, hands down, the best Portuguese central defender of the past 4 years. His hard nose "sticking" combined with fitness, make him a world class player, and perhaps one of the best in the world at his position. He comes into the Euro after a disappointing loss in the CL, but at the top of his game.
Andrade, Meira and now Pepe, names change but when it's all said and done there's only one that has been a permanent fixture in the center of the defense, that man is Carvalho.



Raul Meireles
25
Club: Porto

Meireles is another debutant in major tournaments. He has been an instrumental part in Porto's success for the past 2 years and has really flourished as a player.
Meireles comes into the national team as a box to box midfielder who's best qualities are his quick transition game and his long range shot. He lacks experience and will most likely be on the bench, but the talent he brings to the team should not be overlooked.
His minutes will be limited, but the most important thing will be the experience, as he will definitely be a talent for the future and certainly a fixture on the 11 that will try to qualify for WC 2010.




Petit
32
Club: Benfica

Petit comes into his 4th consecutive major competition. He his by far the face of experience of this national team.
Petit had his worst season for Benfica this year, plagued by injuries and not being able to achieve any type of consistent playing, Petit struggled. Many questioned his call by Scolari, but a man with Petit's experience is a valuable asset to the national team's midfield. Having played in WC02, EC04 and WC08 Petit knows very well what it takes to be successful. His level of experience, is an important factor for Portugal's success. Scolari had expressed that Petit will be 100% and ready to go, and judging by his performance this past Saturday, Scolari was right on.



Joao Moutinho
21
Club: Sporting

Not enough can be said about Moutinho and his efforts.
He has been Mr Endurance for Sporting, year in and year out, he has logged more minutes than any other player in the Sporting roster. What makes Moutinho such a great player is the fact that he is able to do it on a consistent level, game in game out, you can expect the same solid performance from Moutinho.
After his performance against Georgia, he will be sure to be in the starting line up against Turkey. He not only defends well, he also is a great organizer and transition player, contributing at both ends of the field. All eyes will be on Ronaldo, but it'll be this man who will be getting down and dirty.



Miguel Veloso
21
Club: Sporting

Another product of the Sporting Academy, Veloso comes into the national team camp, much because of his performances this year. He also offers Scolari, the flexibility of being able to play left back, center back and defensive midfield, with the last one being where he is most comfortable with. Veloso who has been a staple in the "U" teams, makes his debut in a major tournament. Although he lacks the experience of Petit, he can very well take over the position as he has shown enough maturity at the club level to play in big games.






Deco
30
Club: Barcelona


Portugal's creativity will fall on this man's shoulders. Having had a bad year at Barcelona, Deco's form is probably the biggest question mark for Portugal. No one really knows how Deco will do, he has yet to be the dominant player he is capable of being, showing only flashes of what he is capable of doing. With the eminent exit from Barcelona that the end of this summer we can very well see Deco trying to prove that he can still be the player he once was. He is an instrumental player for Portugal, if Portugal is to have any aspirations to make it far in this tournament.




Cristiano Ronaldo
23
Club: Manchester United

Coming off the best season of his career, where he helped Man U win both PL and CL titles, tallying an impressive 42 goals in all competitions. Ronaldo is Portugal's golden boy. Well ahead of the Ronaldo we saw 2 years ago, Ronaldo is expected to do great things for Portugal. All eyes will be on Ronaldo, no stranger to pressure and attention, Ronaldo has the mental capacity to overcome this pressure. The biggest concern is physical form, after a long marathon season, how is Ronaldo physically? Sure he is 23 and the energizer bunny has nothing on him, but that remains to be seen. What also remains to be seen is the dominating Ronaldo we see every weekend. Ronaldo has yet to carry that level of dominance into the national team.


Hugo Almeida
24
Club: Werder Bremen


The only true pure center forward in the Portugal squad. Almeida also makes his debut in a major competition. Playing his club ball at Werder bremen, Almeida is no stranger to high level competition, although at his young age he still lacks the experience to take him to the next level. He had a good year in Germany, but will not be breaking into the starting 11.
Scolari's system clearly favors only one mobile forward, and that is not one of Hugo's dominant traits. As Scolari changes into a 2 forward system, Almeida can be very well be the chosen one.




Simao
28
Club: Atletico Madrid

Simao makes his 3rd consecutive appearance in a major competition for Portugal. Having transferred to Atletico Madrid from Benfica over the summer, Simao came into camp healthy and showing good form. While his first month's in Spain were rough, Simao hit full stride in the middle of the year and finished the year strong, despite battling some injuries. Along with Ronaldo, he will be the winger trying to create mismatches in the opponents defensive third. With much of the attention turned to Ronaldo, Simao will have to be effective, not to mention that Quaresma and Nani will be looking for a chance and will be more than happy to seize it.




Quaresma
24
Club: Porto


Quaresma has told the media that he will leave his mark on this competition. It'll be his first major competition, after being snubbed out of the 06 WC, Quaresma as yet to assert himself in the national team, and will most likely start out on the bench. With Simao as his major competition for the wing position, Quaresma will be lurking for an opportunity, and when that opportunity comes, he will have to prove he deserves to start, something that as yet to happen, as his performances in qualifying were spotty at best. Nevertheless he is there and it's his opportunity to waste.




Nani
21
Club: Manchester United


Another debutant to major competitions, Nani comes into this competition full of confidence, after having a great first year with Man U, Nani will look to carry on his club performances to the national team. He knows he has tough competition for the spot, and will most likely start on the bench, but just like Quaresma, needs to be ready to seize the opportunity. His playing is very similar to Ronaldo's, quick, fast footwork and an impressive long range shot to boot.






Nuno Gomes
31
Club: Benfica


Nuno Gomes is the player with the most consecutive appearances in a major competition, he made his debut in Euro 00, and this will be his 5th consecutive major competition. Despite having the worst year of his career at Benfica this year, Nuno Gomes continues to deserve Scolari's confidence. He will most likely be the starting forward, and knows his continued starts can very well depend on how he plays. He is a team player and plays for the team, making that his biggest trait, he is strong on the 1-2s and his work rate on the field is impressive.
Nuno Gomes has always been able to have success on the national team, let's hope that'll be the case again



Helder Postiga
25
Club: Sporting(Porto)

Postiga made his debut in the 04 Euro, he was having a great year at Porto and Scolari called on him, he has been with the national team since then. Even when he didn't play at Porto he was always called by Scolari, and to much of everyone's surprise, Postiga would score.
He has yet to assert himself as a starter, much because of lack of steady playing time at Porto who have loaned him out almost every year, but with his recent move to Sporting, Postiga sees himself at a point where he can resurrect his career. We'll see how this latest move will affect Postiga.



These are the 23 chosen ones. In the next couple of days i will post more on the National team.