José Mourinho: My view on England vs Portugal
http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?hlid=399855&m=7&y=2006&nav=news&sub=latest+newsJosé Mourinho: My view on England vs Portugal
Saturday, Jul 01, 2006
José Mourinho: My view on England vs Portugal
Portugal against England in the World Cup quarter-final is far from being a surprise for me.
In fact I look at it, without over-emphasis, and I truly believe that two great teams deserve to be in the last eight. At the same time I can say that on Saturday at 7pm the winner can be proud of their achievement and can be full of ambition for the semi-final whether they play Brazil or France, while the loser can go home with the protection of saying that "we lost against a team full of talented players”. To lose in the quarter-final, against a good team is no disgrace.
There are two points I would like to focus on initially. England is a team for the future, because you have Neville and Beckham who are the only two players at their last World Cup. You look at Portugal and Figo, Pauleta, Costinha are probably the ones similarly with their last chance. It means both teams have an eye to the future and possibilities of big improvement with an experienced base and youth to keep working towards the next Euro or South Africa in 2010. There are big chances for both in the future, so whatever the result now it is not the end of the story.
The other point is that in the English team there is only one player, or two if Hargreaves also plays, who are not playing in the Premiership. But from the Portuguese side only the goalkeeper Ricardo, plus Simao and Petit, if they play, are playing in our league. Why? Because England can keep its people, can give them the right economic and sporting motivations, while my country has no social and economic power to keep the incredible talent we can produce. England should be proud that the Premiership can do this, and is something my country should also want.
I truly believe English players are in love with their country and fight with such honour and pride. John Terry called me after the game against Ecuador and told me: "Boss you cannot imagine the honour I felt to play for my country with the captain’s armband (after Beckham was substituted), and because you helped me so much to arrive at this position I want to give you the shirt from the match." This was a great moment and emotion for him, but also for me, and that shirt will be in a special place in my home in Setubal.
However it would be a mistake to think Portugal does not have this emotion too. Because of our economic situation at home, many of us live abroad, away from our country, away from our families, away from what we love. This creates in us a special emotion, a special feeling about our country. Remember the Portuguese team is full of players with big hearts, that are built when we are far from what we love. England has to be very, very strong mentally if they want to beat a Portuguese team full of pride, full of desire, full of self belief.
Could Scolari and Eriksson build better teams? Probably as there is always space to improve. Could they, by the tactical point of view, create a more dynamic system of playing? Probably. Could both managers choose a better group of players? That depends on opinions.
But for sure they couldn’t work better than they are doing to create a very strong group, a family, men with the same objectives and dreams. I believe both are at the top in the way they have given the group a great atmosphere, to think, to dream, to be in peace and happiness. Nobody saw in these two camps the problems as there have been in others. We have all felt both groups are in harmony. It is difficult for outside negative influences to penetrate and destroy this atmosphere so Scolari and Eriksson have done a great job and have a big responsibility for creating this.
Sven is also correct when he says that he has not yet seen a team play in the World Cup at the maximum level. I completely agree. But I also believe that when the group phase is so easy for both teams, you should be ready to anticipate the future and grab it with both hands.
Naturally there are more difficulties the further you go in the competition. England is much more compact and solid with Michael Carrick and this is the way to play in difficult matches in my opinion.
I always think and plan around the best qualities of the players I have, what they have to offer and how to get these out of them. Without Carrick, Lampard and Gerrard have too much responsibility in the building up of the first phase, so they are losing the possibility to get into areas where they have greater freedom, areas where they can kill the opposition in the last 25 metres of the pitch. Carrick is now the link, but I believe he needs more personality, for him to feel he has the status and the responsibility he has on the pitch at Tottenham where he is king of the first phase so he can give Lamps and Gerrard the freedom.
These are three great players, still young people with potential to evolve into better players still. The issue then for England is that you need three players in attack, not playing too far from each other. They need to be in permanent spacial contact. You can play with three players up, but it can still look like the central man is isolated. The way to play is what the Italians call a “tridente” where the three players are in permanent contact, changing positions, one in the direction of the ball, one striker attacking the front post and a winger arriving at the far post. What makes the difference between this system looking very dangerous, or looking defensive, is the consequence of hard work and training routines. Were England working 442 and 433 at the same time to be ready to use one of them? A coach like Eriksson, with his experience, would be prepared for this.
Since Euro 2004, Portugal has been playing a 433 where Deco, Costinha and Maniche who were the FC Porto midfield and, at the same time, the national team midfield. Portugal lost the opening game with Greece and from that moment this triangle was always the permanent nucleus and around them the team was built. I have to say that Scolari was a great leader when after the game against Holland he said, showing no fear, "no Deco and Costinha but I have a group of 21". This shows strong leadership.
I know very well that sometimes we managers don’t say what we really think and believe, just to protect or motivate the team. But the reality is that Costinha is very important in this team and Deco means for Portugal the same as Lamps means for England.
I used to say in Porto about Costinha, “I am the manager on the bench, he is my voice on the pitch". He is very intelligent, he reads the game like nobody else, closes the spaces when the team moves laterally to press the ball, pushes up and he always chooses the moment to press in deep. Deco is brilliant because he will always choose the right pass, sees easily what some can’t even see with glasses and his relationship with Maniche is great. The goal against Holland was a copy of a dozen in our Porto, when Deco goes wide to lose his opponent, Maniche seizes the space to penetrate. This team is a team of routines, they play with each other so often, so it is an incredible blow for Portugal to play without them.
Normally Petit and Tiago are coming in as replacements. Petit is a fighter, very good defensively but without Costinha’s aerial quality. Tiago is well adapted to the English style of play from his time at Chelsea and more good qualities from Lyon, but Deco is Deco. In attack Scolari is thinking, or already thought and decided. Simao is playing very well, and may deserve a place in the starting 11. With Figo in a top moment, and Ronaldo full of desire to make the impact he has not yet, is it possible to make a change and play Simao and Figo in the wings with Ronaldo as a lonely striker?
You all know I am not a person to run away from difficult questions and I can guess you all want to ask me "who do you want to win?"
I love my players to perform. I love my players to be happy. I live and breathe their experiences at the World Cup like an older brother at home praying for their success. I would love Terry to be the Man of the Match, Lampard to score the goal of the competition, Bridge and Ferreira to play some minutes, Cole and Carvalho to show how good they are. I would love this game to be the best in the World Cup...and I would like the winner to be world champion. I look like a politician with this answer.
Okay, I never run away. I would like my beloved country to keep the incredible happiness that we are feeling and smelling in every corner at the moment. I know you can accept that because you also love your great country and you understand the feelings people have for their country.
See you all on July 16. I will be back. And you cannot imagine how much I want to be back on the training pitch again. Whoever wins, enjoy the World Cup. José Mourinho: My guide to England's players
Saturday, Jul 01, 2006
José Mourinho: My guide to England's players
Paul Robinson: Robinson is a top goalkeeper but I believe his voice could be stronger behind the defensive line. England could defend higher up the pitch and he is the leader to make this happen.
Gary Neville: England needs him. Carragher is a good player but plays too many deep passes. Hargreaves is not as strong as Neville inside. Neville is still the best defensively, closing with Ferdinand the space inside and giving an extra quality with his long throws into the box.
John Terry: Simple, he is the best central defender in the world.
Rio Ferdinand: He is also very good but I believe the zonal defence way of playing demands a better understanding from him. Ferdinand is great, but of course JT is better.
Ashley Cole: Cole is playing very well, not so much going forward, but is playing safe with good defensive positioning.
Michael Carrick: Carrick plays for the team, not to be the man of the match and that’s a great thing. Plays simple and that is genius in that position. I believe he can be the key to give Lampard and Gerrard the freedom they have with their clubs. Liverpool has Alonso, Chelsea has Makelele. Without Carrick, Lamps is not Lamps and Gerrard is not Gerrard.
Steven Gerrard: With Carrick behind, he should not be afraid to circulate, lose his opponents, go to the wings, interchange with Beckham, run forward when Rooney has the ball and needs support. In Liverpool he runs when the long ball flies to Crouch, now he has to run every time Rooney has the ball and needs support.
Frank Lampard: Lamps must be a little frustrated because he knows he has much more to give. But he was a victim of playing in front of the defensive line in the earlier matches, therefore losing confidence going forward. He is a top star but thinks always about the team. I believe he can now play more similar to how he does in Chelsea and maybe his goal can arrive. To his critics I just say when Lamps does not play to his normal standard, he still plays better than the others.
David Beckham: Beckham is a player that I admire because he must be a very strong personality, and no doubt, teams need this kind of player on the big occasions. He may not be best suited to play in 433 where the striker needs the wingers to make diagonal runs and to beat opponents by dribbling or through speed. David is not that kind of player, but is intelligent enough to come inside and create a compact group of players defensively. With better communication, Gerrard can make runs down the right with Beckham coming inside when the left back pushes up and opens the space behind. Why not Beckham inside and Gerrard using the right as he does with Liverpool? They can interchange sometimes.
Joe Cole: Joe is confident, ready to take risks in the game and now can measure how far he can go. He has become very mature in this respect. I believe if Ashley Cole risks a bit more on the attack, Joe can come inside and give Rooney the support he needs. Joe can score goals on the inside.
Wayne Rooney: Rooney is in a new role, being the lone striker in a relatively new system for him. I believe he is a great player behind the striker, however in this moment without Owen, he may not be used to the system yet. But his desire is so big, and with his talent on dribbling, movement and decisive actions, he can always decide a game.
Peter Crouch: In my opinion a good plan b, if the result is not good he can change the style of play and give the opposition new and different problems to solve.
http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?hlid=399856&m=7&y=2006&nav=news&sub=latest+news Latest News
José Mourinho: My guide to Portugal's players
Saturday, Jul 01, 2006
José Mourinho: My guide to Portugal's players
Ricardo: He is not my favourite keeper in Portugal, but Scolari trusts him and gives him a lot of self-belief. The hero against England in Euro 2004, directly involved in the Greece goal in the final, but a Scolari man and playing well in this World Cup.
Miguel: Miguel was my player at Benfica and was a winger. Paulo Ferreira is a better defender but Miguel is very good in attack with a great cross. It will be a fight with Joe Cole because Joe is better inside exactly where Miguel is not so good.
Ricardo Carvalho: Ricky is super class and always plays well in big matches. Very clean and clever, I believe Rooney will have it difficult on the centre-right because Ricky is very fast.
Fernando Meira: Many people were doubtful about Meira when Andrade injured his knee ligaments. Meira is tall and strong, and I believe he is well adapted to face Crouch in case Sven chooses him. But Rooney can create some problems for him in one on one situations. Many people think Meira is slow, but he isn’t, he is slower over short distances but fast over longer distances.
Nuno Valente: He is a good player, very, very cool and used to playing in big matches. His defensive positioning is very good. He closes the spaces on the inside but can find it difficult against direct fast opponents.
Petit: He is a worker. He fights, presses and controls very well a direct opponent. His pass is not bad, he sees the long distance change of direction and his shot is powerful.
Tiago: Tiago is a player with great timing to penetrate, and is dangerous arriving in the box. But he is not fast and because of that powerful players like Gerrard or Lamps can give him problems. Good in the air,can protect his defensive line and with Costinha out he is crucial on this.
Maniche: He is one of the best players in the tournament. It was a shame he arrived in Chelsea after a big surgery and he couldn’t show how good he is. He plays high tempo football, normally sees and thinks first touch football. A great shot and appetite to arrive from behind in the spaces left open by the striker.
Figo: Figo is highly motivated. He can play left or right and maybe without Deco he goes inside to have the ball and control the rhythm of the possession. His dribble and vision for passing is great. Although not a threat anymore in quick transition play or counter attack he is still a great player and a leader.
Simao: He was not a first choice before the competition but is playing very well. Right footed but better on the left. When he dribbles inside on the left side his right footed shot is fantastic. Highly motivated because he wants to play abroad.
Ronaldo: He is not showing what he is. Probably too much pressure for a young talent, probably opponents have found the way to press him mentally. He is not yet the star everybody was waiting for in Germany. But the talent is there and you never know when he can explode.
Pauleta: He is a player JT knows very well because we studied him well when we played Paris St Germain in the Champions League. He has two great qualities, attacking the first post and play in the limit of the offside with runs behind defenders.
http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?hlid=399857&m=7&y=2006&nav=news&sub=latest+news John Terry: Simple, he is the best central defender in the world.
Rio Ferdinand: He is also very good but I believe the zonal defence way of playing demands a better understanding from him. Ferdinand is great, but of course JT is better.
:icon075: :icon101: 原帖由 FlyingDonkey 於 2006-7-410:41 AM 發表
José Mourinho: My guide to England's players
Saturday, Jul 01, 2006
José Mourinho: My guide to England's players
Paul Robinson: Robinson is a top goalkeeper but I believe his voice ...
完全講中英軍死穴 :icon124: Ricardo Carvalho: Ricky is super class and always plays well in big matches. Very clean and clever, I believe Rooney will have it difficult on the centre-right because Ricky is very fast.
clever? dun he need an IQ test? 原帖由 vetefan2 於 2006-7-411:38 AM 發表
Ricardo Carvalho: Ricky is super class and always plays well in big matches. Very clean and clever, I believe Rooney will have it difficult on the centre-right because Ricky is very fast.
clever ...
我笑了:icon101: Pauleta: He is a player JT knows very well because we studied him well when we played Paris St Germain in the Champions League. He has two great qualities, attacking the first post and play in the limit of the offside with runs behind defenders.
真係成場都唔知佢做過乜
果然厲害 :icon101: 原帖由 FlyingDonkey 於 2006-7-410:41 AM 發表
José Mourinho: My guide to England's players
Saturday, Jul 01, 2006
José Mourinho: My guide to England's players
Paul Robinson: Robinson is a top goalkeeper but I believe his voice ...
終於有人識欣賞下gary
但佢讚既竟然係十幾年都無賣過既throw in而唔係出波... 原帖由 vetefan2 於 2006-7-411:38 AM 發表
Ricardo Carvalho: Ricky is super class and always plays well in big matches. Very clean and clever, I believe Rooney will have it difficult on the centre-right because Ricky is very fast.
clever ...
he's clever COMPARED TO Rooney :icon082: 原帖由 FlyingDonkey 於 2006-7-410:41 AM 發表
José Mourinho: My guide to England's players
Saturday, Jul 01, 2006
José Mourinho: My guide to England's players
Paul Robinson: Robinson is a top goalkeeper but I believe his voice ...
有講 Carrick ,冇講 Hargreaves ??:eek2: 原帖由 Bilo 於 2006-7-408:40 PM 發表
有講 Carrick ,冇講 Hargreaves ??:eek2:
佢係咪好想曼聯高價買carrick :icon124: 原帖由 vetefan2 於 2006-7-409:13 PM 發表
佢係咪好想曼聯高價買carrick :icon124:
仲有比賽前又叫 England 出 Carrick, 唔通佢自己想買至真 ?:icon114: 原帖由 Bilo 於 2006-7-409:16 PM 發表
仲有比賽前又叫 England 出 Carrick, 唔通佢自己想買至真 ?:icon114:
仲買? 中場塞哂車lu:icon124: 原帖由 vetefan2 於 2006-7-409:34 PM 發表
仲買? 中場塞哂車lu:icon124:
打 3-6-1 / 2-6-2 :icon082: 原帖由 vetefan2 於 2006-7-411:38 AM 發表
Ricardo Carvalho: Ricky is super class and always plays well in big matches. Very clean and clever, I believe Rooney will have it difficult on the centre-right because Ricky is very fast.
clever ...
:icon101:if he need an IQ test
does Ronney needs an EQ test as well? 原帖由 熱刺#29戴維斯 於 2006-7-410:20 PM 發表
:icon101:if he need an IQ test
does Ronney needs an EQ test as well?
NO :icon125:
唔做都知佢零分架啦
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