First things first, it was the starting lineup we all wanted but Bruno Fernandes and Guedes suffered from the occasion. They did not have the impact seen vs Algeria but thats to be expected, I'm not angry about that. Facing Spain in a world Cup really psychologically got to them, and when you factor in Spains constant suffocating press and pure quality of passing/interchanging positions then its understandable.
I hear comments about Bernardo Silva, arguably our most important player after Ronaldo being non-existant and struggling and while he was I really think we should analyze why. Bernardo is a possession player, he needs touches on the ball and movement around him to be effective and make use of his skill/vision. Against Spain he was virtually on his own except for when he drifted inside which imho is his best position...whenever he got the ball there were multiple Spanish players around him and Cedric offered ZERO support and width.
Cedric was awful, he did not come forward often and didnt drag anyone away, nor was he remotely dangerous or effective in possession. How many "Charutes para a front" did he do? This allowed Jordi Alba to bomb forward recklessly because he knew Bernardo would be closed by others and would have no space/options to use as a decoy or give the ball to. With Ricardo there and making his trademark bombing runs with speed/power/skill a few times Alba would have been far more cautious and not move forward nearly as much. Albas movement really is what helped Isco/Silva/Iniesta/Thiago because it drags away the extra coverage.
Dias was never going to start, he has 1 international start in a friendly vs Tunisia, one game at Old Trafford, and just league games. Yes he has quality, but it would have been a recipe for disaster..he might have succumbed to the occasion like Bruno Fernandes and Guedes..and imagine that at CB?! Fonte was always the option, for good or bad. We have to hope he improves vs Morocco because Costa was ragdolled him.
Moutinho was ok, and William was a little better but not the beast he can be. Gurreiro was good overall but tired at the end which is understandable considering his season of injuries.
We started so well the first 20 minutes, we pressed them, disrupted their style of play and looked dangerous on the counter..Guedes had a golden opportunity where he should have scored but got nervous/panicked. A minute later Diego Costa scored ( imho he fouled Pepe, how many times is that called?) and the game COMPLETELY CHANGED. We sagged, to be expected a bit since we're a young team overall...but we really sagged. Up until the 75th or so minute We really had nothing. We just sat back, didnt venture forward, and couldnt string a pass together with another. Those last 15 minutes we really woke up and regained control a bit, we pressed Spain high up the field again, nullified them a lot, and starting regaining possession and crafting opportunities. After Ronaldos magical moment, we could have won it as we were the only team that looked like scoring...Quaresma should have shot a fraction earlier or faked a third shot to take out a sliding Koke...damn so close. Plus Ronaldo completely missed on a free header.
Ultimately I believe we played within ourselves a lot, Santos set them out to be cautious and simple but press Spain high to regain possession quicker and put them under constant pressure with the skill of our players on the counter but Diego Costa's goal completely changed the game. Santos even said as much ans gave us a 6/10 performance rating which is about right. We also dont have the same solid defense like in Euro 2016 to absorb constant pressure from one of the top 4 teams in the World....we CANT do that with Fonte not as good and Pepe two years older. Plus Cedric is just not good right now and never really offered much besides workrate.
Everyone is saying we're a one man team and suck without Ronaldo...let them. Against Morcocco we will play far more assertive and expansive. We shelled vs Spain for the most part. They think all our players suck but will be in for a surprise because Spain is the best team in the tournament, played a fantastic game against us, and took away time/space and showed the quality they have which the other teams wont. We will have so much more space, and be by far the more skilled team bar 2/3 players on Morocco.
Ronaldo was amazing, he was electric on the ball all match in terms of build up, one touch control and passing, dribbling, explosiveness...he looked the sharpest he has in months. We need to pray he is 100% because it completely transforms our team in front of goal and presses other teams defenses back.
Ricardo in for Cedric and Joao Mario for Bruno Fernandes, the rest should be the same vs Morocco..give Guedes another opportunity to settle his nerves.