I would assume he could still be coming off the bench by then
He really does not look like a 34 year old player when you see him running on the pitch.Internationals September (Euro Qualifiers + Friendlies)
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
He really does not look like a 34 year old player when you see him running on the pitch.It really is, no shame losing against the european champions. The minnows put up a good fight though!
Tight group.France, Iceland and Turkey all with 12 points after 5 games
Exciting game overall, some dumb defensive errors and some really nice finishing from Portugal players did a number on us.
+ a game against Gibraltar then he will do it
I'll have to go back and check the highlights of that game because as I said, I really can't remember right now whether or not there was any controversy.
This is easily the best Portugal team of the past decade. Not quite as good as the golden generation but it’s one of our best squads ever.
There are better teams than us but I’m optimistic going into a tournament for the first time since 2006 as long as everyone stays fit
There are better teams than us but I’m optimistic going into a tournament for the first time since 2006 as long as everyone stays fit
It's a winning squad that's the thing.
If they setup a game against a team from a small island with 200 people then he can score a shit load of goals
From the midfield to the attack I agree. Defense I still doubt. Attacking wise though we haven't had something like the Fantastic 4 in a long time.
Minnows at least play and compete, whilst plankton on the other hand…
I don't often wade into the Messi v Ronaldo arguments but Ronaldo undoubtedly has had the better international career of the two to date, certainly if he surpasses Ali Daei.
If that’s a jab at Noggie football I really don’t care. Haven’t watched a full 90 minutes since 2000
He will 100% get to 100 goals, might get there in 2020 already. Only 11 goals to go and he should get a fair few in this qualification, we have 2 games against Lithuania and 2 games against Luxembourg.
That actually explains a lot. I mean football aside, not much happening in other sports as well, no?If that’s a jab at Noggie football I really don’t care. Haven’t watched a full 90 minutes since 2000
I hope he breaks the 109 record!
I have no idea. I find the notion of supporting a team or an athlete just because you share the same passport ridiculous.
Surely, supporting your NT or fellow countrymen and women, their success etc…gives you some enjoyment?
Nah. Not to say that I don’t support *any* Norwegian athletes, but it depends more on the character. Petter Northug for instance, if you know skiing, was a phenomenal athlete and is a brilliant character. My fondness of him got nothing to do with his nationality.
Anyhoo.
Ronaldo should get that award. He's still playing at a top top level and these European qualifiers, whether for the WC or Euros, always have enough rubbish teams to be able to score loads against.
You can win it. 100%.
Ronaldo is still a beast and the master of clutch, so in those tight games he's a lethal weapon. Joao Felix is only going to keep getting better and B.Silva is one of the best players in the Prem.
Very decent midfield options as well with Bruno/Neves etc. All you really lack is a dominant central defender but with the right tactics that can be negated a bit.
A lot will depend on if Pepe still has it or not. Our fullbacks are good but weak defensively and the centrebacks are nothing special. If we face the likes of Mbappe, Kane or Hazard we could easily get exposed like Suarez and Cavani did to us at the World Cup. Thinking about those games against tough opponents is the main reason I actually like Santos' cautious approach while a lot of portuguese fans criticize him for his old fashioned and negative style.
We won in 2016 and the team wasn't half as good as it is now so hopefully we can get far again.
Depends what side of the draw any team gets on really. It wasn't a cakewalk Portugal had for 2016 when you think they had to overcome Croatia who had looked excellent in the groups then a decent Poland and also Wales who'd just turned over Belgium....but it was much more preferable to them being in the France/Germany/Spain/Italy section on the other side, that was ridiculous strength and I doubt Portugal would've had enough to get through when you think they just scraped through group stage.
There will always be one weak half in a finals competiton so you've got to take your chances and get to the final as Croatia did at last WC.
There will always be one weak half in a finals competiton so you've got to take your chances and get to the final as Croatia did at last WC.
He'll play at the next WC in order to break the WC appearance and goal record. No question.I would assume he could still be coming off the bench by then
Portugal record at WC is pretty underwhelming actually.
The only great performance for them at WC that i have seen was back in Germany 2006.
2002 - Eliminated in Group Stage
2010 - Eliminated in Round of 16
2014 - Eliminated in Group Stage
2018 - Eliminated in Round of 16, and one goal away from being eliminated by Iran in Group Stages.
Croatia with only 20 years of existence as a NT has a better record at WC than Portugal : one Bronze medal (France 98) and one Silver medal (Russia 2018).
World Cup just doesn't seem like Portugal's tournament.I have higher expectations for them at the Euro 2020 than World Cup 2022.
Also, a weak side cannot reach a World Cup Final, weak sides don't even pass group stage or Round of 16.
There is always a favorite in a Final, but it doesn't mean that the other team is weak.
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No doubt it will be his last international tournament.
We have the worst luck in the world at World Cups, always get very tough draws, injuries to key players, etc.
In 2010 we got Brazil in the groups and that great Spain team in the first knockout. Got knocked out by an offside goal. In 2014 we got Germany in the groups, had every single key player bar Pepe injured and Pepe got sent off right away. In 2018 we got Spain in the groups despite being seeded. Iran scored from a nonexistent penalty in the last minute and that sent us to the awful part of the draw. Could have had a route of Russia-Croatia-England to the final. We were still most likely not good enough to make it given that Spain were miles better than us and failed but it would have been a great chance.
Can’t really complain about any of that after Euro 2016 though.
Couldn’t agree more: wouldn’t hear the end of it from my girlfriend.
And would confuse the hell out of our daughter who needs to be taught that orange always trumps red*.
*Aside from when it doesn’t. Like when flanked by two white stripes and facing orange with black shorts. Can’t have her root for FC Volendam vs Jong Ajax after all.
We should just invade them together with France. We take Flanders and they can have the part with all the bumpy highways.
Just have to figure out what to do with Brussels. Maybe hand it to England? They can’t seem to get away from Brussels anyway.
We should just invade them together with France. We take Flanders and they can have the part with all the bumpy highways.
Ronaldo played? True though, his most noteworthy achievement of that match was kicking a freekick into a one-man-wall consisting of Philipp Lahm.
He was injured and should have never played, permanently fecked his knees up for playing despite everyone telling him not to.
After what he regularly did in the Champions League to Lahm and Neuer it’s only right they got to stop him that one time against the worst Portugal team in decades playing with 10 men
He did, but in 2014 WC he played all games injured. He was not fully fit from an injury in the end of the season (still our best finisher lol).
Its interesting that something always happens at WCs, except last year where there wasnt any incident.
In 2010 the players hated queiroz and with him ronaldo scored only 2 goals in 2 years of national team or something, he played him as a sole fixed striker. We still draw brazil in the group and faced that great spain losing to an offside game so it was decent.
Also remember nani's weird sudden injury and the rumour he was found with doping and dischargef from the team stealthely (not sure where that theory stands now).
In 2014 ronaldo playing injured, pepe sent off in the first game and an average team in general. Draw usa and beat ghana but germany in the last game didnt care and usa went though. Also terrible preparation work by the federation as we trained in temperate zones but played in the middle of the amazon and other super tropical zones. We barely could run and had team problems so it was deserved.
2018 was ok in preparation and incidents. Spain was better but ronaldo happened, then draw iran with that var penalty (still ok as we were through) and the var in the other game also made sure spain got 1st. Got uruguay that is a good team and lost because they finished their chances and we didnt. I think it was an ok wc given the teams we faced. Guedes was terrible in this wc (classic portuguese no striker problem) and Bernardo silva only clicked with the team in the last game.
Fortunately now we have a better attack (but no striker as usual) and midfield and also good full backs, our current problem is cbs which is something we generally dont have a problem with. Ruben Dias is good but after that we have to rely on an aged pepe as the rest isnt top level yet.
Even with ronaldo retiring soonish we have a good team for the future, we just need a good finisher ("just").
Really one time? 2006 World Cup, 2008 Euro, 2012 Euro, 2014 World Cup. In all those matches Ronaldo played and did the square root of jackall.He was injured and should have never played, permanently fecked his knees up for playing despite everyone telling him not to.
After what he regularly did in the Champions League to Lahm and Neuer it’s only right they got to stop him that one time against the worst Portugal team in decades playing with 10 men
@Catt we're beating the bastards tonight aren't we?
Nope, can't see it.
It was a joke... and he was our best player in 2008. Would have gone through if not for horrendous refereeing.
Hopefully we meet again next year now that the teams are actually evenly matched, this time with VAR so there’s no funny business as usual.
Dzeko cracks the post!
1-0 Mkhitaryan