Will Nani, Miguel Veloso, Simao Sabrosa, Paolo Ferreira be starting in the next Portugal game, Sweden v. Portugal, March 28, 2009?

Photo: Nani, Miguel Veloso, Simao Sabrosa, Paolo Ferreira, Euro 2008 training camp. Comic visiting the team.

Will they be in the starting lineup in the next Portugal game?
(March 28, 2009- Sweden v. Portugal)

What a difference 2 months make! Back in November, the answer was an obvious yes. Queiroz has been "renovating" the Portugal team and it looks like no player has their place guaranteed. Just ask Nuno Gomes.

The important games are coming up. Portugal has everything to lose by being 3rd in Group 1.

Nani- More chances to play in the next 2 games. His competition is practically gone. Unlikely that Carlos Queiroz will keep using competition:

Simao Sabrosa as a "permanent" winger with CR7.
Quaresma unfortunately had a bad first half of the season at Inter (Italy Serie A). Played in the starting lineup in the first month. 90 minutes in the important, world famous Milan derby. Gradually, Jose Mourinho reduced his playing time to 0 minutes. Quaresma couldn't adapt to the Serie A style of play and rhythm. He then lost his place to Figo. Now he has transferred to another club, Chelsea.


Miguel Veloso: bad luck in 2009-
He's not even injured yet he's not playing at from Sporting CP either. His move to another club in January 2009 was almost a given. That failed and coach Paolo Bento didn't think he was able to concentrate on Sporting CP and was dropped from the squad for a league game. Just like that.

Then in February 2009, he missed a training session without presenting a reason. Sporting coach dropped him from the Taça da Liga semi-final. The coach said later that Veloso clarified his situation but that he would train with the team 3 days later not immediately.



Photo: On February 5, he returned to the training session.

Late last year when he was playing he was even excluded from the sub 21 Portugal team! It was a long time that Miguel Veloso was NOT called up in EITHER of the Portugal teams! In the last friendly Portugal 1-0 Finland, Veloso was NOT called up.

competition:
Raul Meireles, Fernando Meira.


Simao Sabrosa- great season at Atletico Madrid- getting old and Queiroz wants to try "young" wingers like Danny, Nani and Quaresma.

Paolo Ferreira- Queiroz won't repeat Scolari's mistake of using Ferreira out of position as a left-back. He's calling up left-backs like Lecce's Antunes (22 years old) and Duda. He's now 30 years old. (Birthday on January 18, 1978) I suspect Queiroz is slowly leaving behind the "old Scolari team:" GK Ricardo, Paolo Ferreira, Nuno Gomes, and Simao Sabrosa.

Queiroz showed in yesterday's friendly that he plans to use Miguel as a right-back if Jose Bosingwa is unavailable.

-- Your thoughts on Nani, Miguel Veloso, Simao Sabrosa, Paolo Ferreira in the current Portugal team?

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