So Portugal have played their first game and now we have taken a look to be given an idea of how Santos's team is going to play. They looked pretty good, and actually it's the best I've seen them since 2004. The one player that caught my eye more than any other was Andre Gomes.
The hype of course was surrounding Cristiano, and how Iceland would contain him. In the end he wasn't much of a problem or a threat, and it was all about the player nobody really knew about that caught the eye.
He was the one that looked to be where Portugal would get their goals from in the way he drifted through the pitch and is silky control of the ball.
If Portugal want to be serious about winning this, they must build their team around this kid. Having that playmaker and creative player who has good football brain and knows how to navigate through tight spaces, puts your team in that elite echelon that most others don't enter. It's also how you win tight games with the killer pass that only players of this type can conjure up or set in motion.
As I said, Portugal looked good to watch and moved the ball around well and are far more pleasing to watch than their defensive pragmatism in previous tournaments. I don't see them as the best team I've seen, but that doesn't matter. There's time to grow and the competition is still very young. It's up to Santos to make changes in order to secure six points in two tough games.
But definitely, Andre Gomes has caught my eye as one of the best players I've seen in the tournament. That's pretty high praise for the young one, because he's in that club of Modric, Iniesta, Kroos, Payet and Bonnucci who have been among the most impressive that I've seen. HH
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