Portugal take on Greece in the final of Euro 2004 in a few hours.
I’m hoping the Portuguese win it. They’re capable of stylish football when players like Figo, Deco and Ronaldo turn it on.
And in Scolari, they have the best coach in the world right now. Portugal did lose their opening match against Greece but Scolari had the guts to make wholesale and chancy changes to his team. He brought in playmaker Deco despite Figo’s misgivings and defenders Miguel and Carvalho both shored up the Portuguese defence.
And some of the Brazilian’s tactical moves were quite subtle. I had initially thought Ronaldo had a poor match against England and that he was well-shackled by Ashley Cole but who was shackling whom? It wasn’t until someone pointed it out that I realised Ronaldo’s main duty might very well have been to prevent Cole from making offensive runs on the left side. If memory serves, Ronaldo was quick to track back whenever Cole tried to bolster England’s offensive attempts and as a result England were left quite toothless on the left flank.
The best things you can say about Portugal’s opponents in the final is that they’re organised and disciplined. Those are hardly traits which excite a football fan’s passion. By all means let’s give Rehhagel and company credit for what their achieved but I’ll be cheering Portugal on.
Regardless of the outcome, I hope we’ll witness a match worth staying up for.
