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1. England -.5 +115 vs. Portugal
2. England vs. Portugal over 2 +109
First Portugal. We all know what there problems are for this match. Deco and Costinha are out with suspension. Also, a number of the Portuguese are on yellow cards for this match. My take on Cristiano Ronoldo is as follows. The Manchester United winger who injured a thigh against the Dutch, didn't train Friday. Scolari said in his press conference that he still didn’t know if he would play. It would be a game day decision. What does that tell you? It tells me that his condition is worse than the team is letting on. He’s missed two practices leading up to this game. Did anyone else notice him crying almost uncontrollably on the sidelines when he was removed from the game against the Dutch…I think his injury is more serious than is being let on. If he plays, don’t expect him to be near top match fitness. If he does play, remember that he plays in the English Premiership. The English players know how to keep him in check. His wicked crossovers may work against the likes of Mexico, Iran or Angola but these English players know all about his tendencies.
I criticized Eriksson for stacking the midfield against Ecuador and playing a 4-5-1 formation with Rooney as the lone striker up front. However, in hindsight, it wasn’t all that bad. If you are going to take away a teams finesse and speed then it is the proper formation to try to do it with. Word is he might go at it again with that formation but I also think that he won’t be so stubborn as to stick with it if he doesn’t like the way things are going. Remember too that England only conceded to Sweden so far in this tournament with 3 clean sheets. Portugal likes to attack and go forward. I think that doing that against England will leave some gaps for the English to exploit and the bonus is that they do have players to exploit those gaps. Rooney looks better and better in each game and is eager to get back at the Portuguese and is hungry for a goal in this tournament.
I also think that the English are much better at the set pieces and this is shaping up to be just that type of game that might rest on a set piece play. Lampart and Neville are both back in the lineup for England and when all is said and done, I think that the English will have enough to get past the Portuguese in this game.
In conclusion. It will be interesting to see if Rooney is utilized as the lone striker up front or if Eriksson decides to put Crouch in the game and play a 4-4-2. Crouch gives more options up front and might actually help Rooney’s game because Rooney is often a better in a supporting striker’s role. The Central areas get too congested when he’s on his own because he can not drop into the central areas as those are the spaces that Lampard and Gerrard will usually be in. The other problem when playing him on his own is that he will be marked by two central defenders. If Crouch is used with him up front then one of either Meira or Carvalho will have to contend with Crouch while the other will find it difficult to mark Rooney one on one.
Eriksson might go with the 4-5-1 for most of the game and then revert to a 4-4-2 by bringing on Crouch in the last 25 minutes or so, depending on the match. You saw the last game that he was ready to bring Crouch on the field at the 60 minute mark but once Beckham scored, he sat him back down.
I think for England to win this match, they can not sit back and try to absorb the Portuguese pressure. They must play straight up premiership football. Take the game to the opponent. I think that he will because the Portuguese can hurt you, even with a limited lineup and, I also think and hope that the English skipper noticed that the midifield was just too clogged with the 5 midfielders.
Therefore, while the odds on the Portuguese look darn attractive, I also think that they are that high for a reason. At the end of the day, too many cautions on the team will affect their aggressiveness in this match. England, known for physical play is actually doing ok with their card situation and can afford to take the match to the Portuguese. The Portuguese in my book have now passed the Italians as some of the more blatant divers in world football. I’m sure the officials have taken notice and will have their eye on them. England will win this game in the 90 minutes. Both teams should be good for a goal here but I ultimately think that England wins this game 2-1.
2. England vs. Portugal over 2 +109
First Portugal. We all know what there problems are for this match. Deco and Costinha are out with suspension. Also, a number of the Portuguese are on yellow cards for this match. My take on Cristiano Ronoldo is as follows. The Manchester United winger who injured a thigh against the Dutch, didn't train Friday. Scolari said in his press conference that he still didn’t know if he would play. It would be a game day decision. What does that tell you? It tells me that his condition is worse than the team is letting on. He’s missed two practices leading up to this game. Did anyone else notice him crying almost uncontrollably on the sidelines when he was removed from the game against the Dutch…I think his injury is more serious than is being let on. If he plays, don’t expect him to be near top match fitness. If he does play, remember that he plays in the English Premiership. The English players know how to keep him in check. His wicked crossovers may work against the likes of Mexico, Iran or Angola but these English players know all about his tendencies.
I criticized Eriksson for stacking the midfield against Ecuador and playing a 4-5-1 formation with Rooney as the lone striker up front. However, in hindsight, it wasn’t all that bad. If you are going to take away a teams finesse and speed then it is the proper formation to try to do it with. Word is he might go at it again with that formation but I also think that he won’t be so stubborn as to stick with it if he doesn’t like the way things are going. Remember too that England only conceded to Sweden so far in this tournament with 3 clean sheets. Portugal likes to attack and go forward. I think that doing that against England will leave some gaps for the English to exploit and the bonus is that they do have players to exploit those gaps. Rooney looks better and better in each game and is eager to get back at the Portuguese and is hungry for a goal in this tournament.
I also think that the English are much better at the set pieces and this is shaping up to be just that type of game that might rest on a set piece play. Lampart and Neville are both back in the lineup for England and when all is said and done, I think that the English will have enough to get past the Portuguese in this game.
In conclusion. It will be interesting to see if Rooney is utilized as the lone striker up front or if Eriksson decides to put Crouch in the game and play a 4-4-2. Crouch gives more options up front and might actually help Rooney’s game because Rooney is often a better in a supporting striker’s role. The Central areas get too congested when he’s on his own because he can not drop into the central areas as those are the spaces that Lampard and Gerrard will usually be in. The other problem when playing him on his own is that he will be marked by two central defenders. If Crouch is used with him up front then one of either Meira or Carvalho will have to contend with Crouch while the other will find it difficult to mark Rooney one on one.
Eriksson might go with the 4-5-1 for most of the game and then revert to a 4-4-2 by bringing on Crouch in the last 25 minutes or so, depending on the match. You saw the last game that he was ready to bring Crouch on the field at the 60 minute mark but once Beckham scored, he sat him back down.
I think for England to win this match, they can not sit back and try to absorb the Portuguese pressure. They must play straight up premiership football. Take the game to the opponent. I think that he will because the Portuguese can hurt you, even with a limited lineup and, I also think and hope that the English skipper noticed that the midifield was just too clogged with the 5 midfielders.
Therefore, while the odds on the Portuguese look darn attractive, I also think that they are that high for a reason. At the end of the day, too many cautions on the team will affect their aggressiveness in this match. England, known for physical play is actually doing ok with their card situation and can afford to take the match to the Portuguese. The Portuguese in my book have now passed the Italians as some of the more blatant divers in world football. I’m sure the officials have taken notice and will have their eye on them. England will win this game in the 90 minutes. Both teams should be good for a goal here but I ultimately think that England wins this game 2-1.