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José 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. |
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