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Scolari's
balancing act
Portugal's friendly against England at the Algarve stadium in
Faro Loulé next month will be the first game played in the
region's new stadium, which has been custom-built for EURO
2004. But coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has attached even greater
significance to the match by saying that it will be an
important test of his side's prospects going into the
tournament.
Friday, 16 January 2004
As host nation, the pressure on Portugal is immense and the
appointment of Scolari, who guided Brazil to World Cup glory
in 2002, has raised expectations even further. But Portugal -
who open the finals against Group A opponents Greece on 12
June - have been lacklustre in recent games and Scolari has
been criticised for some decisions, especially his continued
omission of Porto goalkeeper Vítor Baía.
Portugal's pedigree is clear, of course. They were
semi-finalists in the Low Countries four years ago and the
performances of Portuguese clubs in Europe over the last few
years have been promising. Porto won the UEFA Cup last season
and have progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions
League this term, while Benfica are in the third round of the
UEFA Cup.
The national team are arguably at a crossroads, however.
Porto's young right-back Paulo Ferreira was named in the
uefa.com team of the year and Cristiano Ronaldo, Hélder
Postiga and Hugo Viana will all be around for many years to
come. But for the so-called 'golden generation', EURO 2004 may
well be the last chance to win a major international
tournament. Skipper Fernando Couto will be 35 this year, while
key midfield players Rui Costa and Luís Figo both turn 32.
Scolari's biggest challenge will be to find the right balance
between these experienced players and the promising
youngsters. Portugal's Under-21 side are among the favourites
to win the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Germany this
May and Scolari has already selected a number of these
youngsters with Miguel, Tiago, and Ricardo Quaresma all given
a chance to impress.
Whatever he decides, Scolari has shown he can handle pressure.
He was under no little strain prior to the World Cup in
Korea/Japan. Brazil had struggled to qualify for the
competition but Scolari came back from the Far East with the
trophy and will know from that experience that tournament
performances are the only ones that really count. -
By Rui Matos Pereira
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