Cristiano Ronaldo has not yet wobbled under the weight of this reliant Portugal side and he will be called upon again to find inspiration against Iran and secure safe passage from Group B.
Morocco picked at the seams of an aging Portuguese defence and though Iran do not have the same attacking prowess, when needing a goal last week, they gave powerhouses Spain an almighty scare in defeat.
TEACHER AND PUPIL’S BAD BLOOD
Few coaches know Ronaldo better than Carlos Queiroz and the Iran coach will be relishing the prospect of pushing some particular buttons again.
Queiroz was instrumental in bringing his then-teenage countryman to Old Trafford when he was assistant coach of Manchester United and, save a brief and unsuccessful tenure at Real Madrid, nurtured him for five years in England. Such was the special relationship, Ruud van Nistelrooy fell out with Ronaldo after mocking him for it in training.
The special relationship broke down completely, though, when Ronaldo blamed Queiroz, who left to manage Portugal in 2008, for their inglorious round-of-16 defeat to Spain two years later.
Their connection, at least in public, has never recovered, however, Queiroz earlier this year declared his former charge was the best player in the world when posed the familiar Ronaldo or Messi conundrum.
It’ll be interesting to see whether they embrace at some point on Monday night – though Ronaldo should be braced for some rough treatment from Iran.
RONALDO THE SHERIFF NEEDS A DEPUTY
Ronaldo will have bigger problems on his mind than Queiroz once the game kicks off. The world is in his thrall with Lionel Messi and Neymar yet to announce themselves in Russia.
Invariably there’ll be one game during the course of the tournament, or even one half, where he doesn’t come through. The next men up, though, are staring up at him a long, long way below.
It shouldn’t be the case. For the first time in a long time Portugal have talented young players around Ronaldo who should be relishing the comparative lack of attention they are receiving by World Cup defences.
Bernardo Silva grew into an important component of Manchester City’s Premier League title-winning squad, Goncalo Guedes was one of the loan stories of the season with Valencia and Andre Silva has always fired for Portugal if not AC Milan. Bruno Fernandes too had a fine season for Sporting Lisbon. Their ages: 23, 21, 22 and 23 respectively.
So far Bruno and Bernardo are routinely failing to beat the first man and stretch defences out wide while Fernando Santos has persisted playing Guedes up front over natural striker Silva when he is more at home on the flanks.
The stage is set, gentleman. Even Ronaldo will need help to get to the final act.
Goncalo Guedes
CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLE MEN
Joao Moutinho, and to a lesser extent William Carvalho, have performed admirably for Portugal in midfield but their nation’s soft underbelly is worryingly still there for all to see.
Both need to be extra vigilant when shielding their glacial centre-backs, Pepe and Jose Fonte, as they can leave nothing to chance.
Pepe and Fonte are good enough at close quarters but if any player gets a clear run at them – like Hakim Ziyech and Co found out with Morocco – then it’s cross-your-fingers time if you’re a Portugal fan.
Portugal’s 4-4-2 will always be susceptible to a packed midfield, especially when the wingers are not firing, and Iran will bring just that.
Saeid Ezatolahi was the returning hero in a spirited display against Spain but Vahid Amiri and Omid Ebrahimi were also stubborn in defeat. The question is whether they’ll have enough guile on the ball to break down their opposing duo. This could be an attritional one.
